By FireRescue1 Staff
NEW YORK — An FDNY union is suing its former leader for “selling out” to take a job running the city’s pension fund because it paid more.
NY Post reported that the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York filed a lawsuit to get back some of Stephen Cassidy’s pay, claiming he switched sides to get more money working for the Fire Department Pension Fund.
Cassidy was paid $130,000 as president of the union, and also collected $90,000 a year from the FDNY. In 2016, he resigned to take a job as executive director of the pension fund for $212,000 a year and violated the “Von Essen Rule,” which requires union officials to wait three years after leaving before they can work for the city.
The union now wants three years of back pay from Cassidy.
“It was perverse for him to get the appointment after working out the arrangement for the fire pension fund. It’s not illegal but it raises conflicts,” John Murphy, former New York City Employees Retirement System executive director, said.