Labor and Union Issues
Medford firefighters’ union filed a lawsuit to collect backpay after mayor claims firefighters organized a mass sickout
Brooklyn Supreme Court judge ruled the inspection allegations are “unnecessary” to the age discrimination lawsuit from several chiefs
Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn accused FFs of organizing a sickout
Being denied coverage is frustrating for firefighters, especially if their injury prevents them from doing their day job
Critics call it sexist and go as far as connecting it to low number of female firefighters and attacks on the female chief
If a fire emergency flares up in the city, they’ll call for backup, take off their gun belts and step into the firefighting gear
Commissioner Daniel Nigro said they need to do a better job at recruiting female firefighters who have the physical ability and desire to do the job
The mayor and fire chief said the incident should be handled by the state instead of the town’s police department
The judge ruled there were too many inconsistencies with the testimonies to find the firefighter guilty beyond a reasonable doubt
Fire investigator Crystal Eschert was fired for violating the department’s social media policy after posting about Ferguson on her Facebook account
The lawsuit alleges a problematic work environment, one that not only put firefighters at risk but the people it serves as well
Former firefighter Todd Bruning claims he was fired after he complained about wasteful spending
As the career-volunteer fire department model gains popularity, here are some of the leadership pitfalls and how to avoid them
Hiring eight full-time positions would mean better shift coverage and save money by cutting down on overtime
The performance of the interim chiefs could convince them to revert back to having two chiefs
The new law would take away automatic indexation of their pensions
The chief was disciplined for not getting a council purchase order to buy turnout gear with all fire grant money
The issues center around the chief’s disciplining a firefighter and a grievance filed with the council
These stories show opposite behaviors by fire service leaders when offered a chance to be prejudice — and the results are encouraging
His fellow firefighters said they didn’t care about his previous career; FDNY officials said he has a stellar record
Chief Ralph Terrazas said the new system to take effect in January and will be overseen by four deputy chiefs who will become the fire chiefs for those bureaus
Opponents said the bill will take budgets out of the hands of municipal officials by forcing them to hire more firefighters than necessary
The department is reviewing its policies after an investigation found firefighters were driving department vehicles despite DUI convictions
He told the city council that a proposal for the fire department to take on medical transports would most definitely hurt his private service
The new law would take away automatic indexation of their pensions
Gov. Chris Christie said the city would have to raise taxes by more than $4 billion over the next four years to cover ballooning pension payments
Recently fired firefighters say the training books have been cooked to bring more state training money into the department
The district’s debt exceeds $3 million and a judge once called it ‘an elaborate Ponzi scheme’
Harold Weller’s degree was granted by Belford University, a now defunct diploma mill which operated out of Pakistan
The exemption would allow the fire department to accept job applicants from anyone between the ages of 19 and 65
The city has hired a lawyer to investigate allegations of misconduct against Fire Chief Paul Labbadia, who has been suspended with pay
They support expanding, rather than loosening, the state fire code to require sprinklers in the one- and two-family homes that are now exempted
Done wrong, the performance evaluation process can do more harm than good; and doing it right takes training