A township fire district must pay upwards of $1 million in back pay, benefits and interest to two firefighters who were fired in what has been deemed retaliatory union-busting, according to their union rep.
"The taxpayers in the district get stuck paying the bill for six years of legal bills and pay for something they got no services for," said James Hannon, the president of the union representing Monroe firefighters, after an Appellate Division ruled last week in the union's favor. "There's no winners."
The saga began in early 2010, when, amid a dispute with the three career firefighters, the board of commissioners for Monroe Fire District 1 fired everybody and went to an all-volunteer district. The union had threatened to file an unfair labor practices complaint for not replacing the third firefighter; after their lawyer sent a sternly worded letter, they were all out of a job. A hearing officer, the Public Employee Relations Commission and now the appeals court have ruled that the board's contention — that going all-volunteer was a way to save money, and not union retaliation — is incorrect.
The "anti-union animus was a substantial or motivating factor for the termination," the hearing examiner ruled.
A lawyer for the board said they'll file a motion for reconsideration.