City Employees' Wages

Opelousas, LA: (Oct-23-07) A class action lawsuit was filed against the city of Opelousas by ex-employees, alleging that they were supposed to have received a mandated salary increase in 1984, 1985 and 1988. The employees claimed that deposits for former employees' retirement funds were not paid to them, which was a breach of city's contractual agreement. The city employees also hoped to obtain raises with interest paid. Records show that the original lawsuit was filed on Feb. 1, 1994, stating that both present and former employees were entitled to compensation. A judge ruled in favor of the city on Jan. 29, 1996, and the ruling was officially signed May 13, 1996. The attorneys for the plaintiffs filed for a new trial the very next week. In September 2007, the city filed a motion countering the former employees' suit claiming that there was a need to keep a balanced budget and there was not enough money to pay for the raises. In a settlement reached, the city agreed to pay a total of $800,000 over the next five years to resolve the 11-year-old dispute. [THE DAILY WORLD: CITY EMPLOYEES WAGES]