A plan to eliminate Deal's three paid firefighter positions, which cost as much as $500,000 a year, comes about a month after the borough settled a claim that it did not pay the men overtime, the firefighters' attorney confirmed.
Labor attorney Jim Mets, who represents the firefighters, said he is considering a retaliation lawsuit against the borough.
"The timing of the resolution to the Fair Labor Standards Act claim and the decision to take action and get rid of the firefighters, to me, is very suspect,” he said. Deal Mayor Samuel Cohen said the decision to eliminate the around-the-clock positions was "strictly economics."
"We have nothing against the firefighters. It just doesn't make any sense to spend that kind of money on three men sitting with very little to do," he said.