A Connecticut Superior Court judge has ruled in favor of a local firefighters union saying it effectively disaffiliated in 2016 from the Uniformed Professional Firefighters Association of Connecticut. The city firefighters’ union, Local 825, filed a four-count lawsuit in March alleging a breach of fiduciary duty against the UPFFA, which represents the state’s fire departments.
In the lawsuit, the New Haven union, which is affiliated with the International Association of Fire Fighters, said its executive board had voted to end its “legislative only” membership with UPFFA on Jan. 4, 2016. UPFFA has argued that Local 825 did not properly disaffiliate with the state union and remained a member so UPFFA continued to collect membership dues from 2016 to present.