DENVER — Denver Fire Fighters Local 858, which represents more than 1,000 firefighters and EMS personnel, has sued the statewide firefighters union over a dispute involving its decision to leave the organization and nearly $400,000 in dues.
In a statement from the Fairness Center, the lawsuit alleges the state union has refused to recognize Local 858’s disaffiliation and is seeking dues that the Denver union says it does not owe.
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Local 858 had been affiliated with Colorado Professional Fire Fighters since the Denver union was founded in 1946. In recent years, however, some members questioned whether the state union provided enough value to justify nearly $250,000 in annual dues.
Local 858’s executive board stopped sending dues to the state union in late 2024, and members later voted twice to disaffiliate. In the most recent vote, 70% of members supported leaving the state union.
“Local 858’s executive board and members voted democratically to stop paying the dues and end our affiliation with the state union,” Union president and Denver firefighter Chris Ferguson said. “To me, that should have settled it. But state and international union officials refuse to accept our decision and want to keep control of our money. As Local 858’s president, my job is to stand up for our members — and that is exactly what I will do, even if it means taking the state and international unions to court.”
“When I was elected to the leadership of Local 858, I took an oath that ‘I will dutifully abide by and promote the positions taken by the majority,’” secretary/treasurer and Denver Firefighter Devin Hallock said. “Our members have voted repeatedly and decisively to cut ties with the state union, yet state and international union officials continue to disregard their voice. Ignoring the membership’s repeated vote undermines the democratic process and violates the trust our members have placed in us to defend their voice. It would also mean continuing to send nearly a quarter of a million dollars of their hard-earned money each year to an organization they have determined no longer provides the representation, service, or value they expect and deserve.”
The state union has refused to recognize its decision to disaffiliate. In May, the state union demanded $388,936.93 in dues covering more than 18 months, according to the lawsuit. Local 858 contends the union has not provided a basis for the amount it says is owed.
The International Association of Fire Fighters, which represents firefighters across North America and includes both unions, also has declined to recognize Local 858’s disaffiliation. The IAFF is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
Tim Burn, a spokesman for IAFF, sent a statement to the Denver Post regarding the lawsuit:
“The IAFF has internal processes to democratically address and resolve the concerns of any member or local affiliate,” the statement said. “Those internal processes, including charges of misconduct against several Executive Board members of Local 858, are still pending. We are disappointed that they have instead attempted to bypass the union’s constitution and by-laws with the support of an anti-union law firm largely funded by the Koch Foundation.”
Similar disputes have arisen elsewhere. In 2016, New Haven Fire Fighters Local 825 in Connecticut voted to leave its statewide union, which later sought about $52,000 in dues. A lawsuit filed on behalf of Local 825 ended in 2019 with the local’s independence upheld and no payment to the state union.
