Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.
Battalion chiefs at the Alexandria Fire Department do not qualify for overtime wages, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled on Wednesday, siding with the city and affirming a lower district court’s 2023 judgment.
The plaintiffs, 10 current and former AFD battalion chiefs, had sued the department for unpaid overtime wages. Chief Judge Albert Diaz issued the deciding opinion in the case, stating that the chiefs were exempt from overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act due to being “highly compensated employees,” a distinction that separates them from rank-and-file first responders under the city’s collective bargaining agreement.
