By Josh LaBella
New Haven Register
STRATFORD, Conn. — The local firefighter union and town officials are at odds over two firefighters terminated by the town while on leave for injuries they sustained in the line of duty, letters issued by both sides said.
In a letter issued June 13 by Stratford Professional Firefighters IAFF 998, President Steven Michalovic said firefighters William Hertzog and Scot Sanford were fired that day. The letter said the town cited the men’s “alleged failure to provide a definitive return-to-work date” as the reason for the firings.
Michalovic said the firefighters were out of work, recovering from injuries they sustained in the line of duty. The union did not return phone calls last week and Saturday regarding information on how the two were injured.
According to a post on Facebook made earlier this week, the union was staging a rally to decry their termination on Friday.
Town officials said in a statement in response to the union’s allegations that the two had been out since 2022 and 2023.
“Let me be clear: neither of these members has reached maximum medical improvement, and there has been no medical consensus indicating that either of them will be permanently unable to return to duty,” Michalovic said. “To put it bluntly, these firefighters showed up, did their jobs, were injured while protecting the citizens of Stratford — and were subsequently fired for getting hurt on the job.”
Michalovic said the firings were “not only anti-union and anti-work — it’s unconscionable.” He said the union believes the actions violate the collective bargaining agreement and are without cause.
“We have already initiated the grievance process and will pursue every available legal and contractual remedy to challenge these unjust actions and defend our members’ rights,” he said.
However, Stratford Mayor Laura Hoydick contended in a statement issued on June 20 , that the two firefighters have been unable to work for two to three years and have been receiving workers’ compensation while on leave.
“I would like to thank both William Hertzog and Scot Sanford for their years of service with the Town of Stratford Fire Department as firefighters,” Hoydick said.
“Scot was injured in April of 2022 and William in February of 2023,” she continued. “The Town has paid them the difference in their salary and the workers’ compensation benefit for this time period while waiting for them to be released to return to full duty.”
Since neither employee can provide return-to-work date, the town told the employees and their union that they had the options to retire or terminate their position, Hoydick said in the statement. “They chose not to retire so the Town terminated their employment,” she said. “They remain eligible to retire and receive a pension and paid retiree medical insurance.”
Hoydick added that the town has had to pay their replacements overtime in accordance with the union contract and the town needs to fill the positions.
“I wish them them well in their future endeavors,” she said. “The Town remains committed to supporting its employees, honoring labor agreements, and maintaining transparency with the community.”
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