The town filed a complaint in Rhode Island Superior Court last week after learning about alleged ethical violations and conflicts of interest on the State Labor Relations Board. These alleged violations, according to Town Manager Gayle Corrigan, have prevented East Greenwich from receiving it’s right to a fair hearing and due process.
The town had appeared before the State Labor Relations Board on Oct. 30 to defend an unfair labor practice complaint filed by the Firefighters Union, Local 3328. Before Corrigan was to testify, however, the town learned of a legal relationship between one of the board’s members and the union’s lawyer, Attorney Elizabeth Wiens.
Wiens, an East Greenwich resident, also represents the Providence Firefighters Union, Local 799. State Labor Relations Board Member Derek Silva serves as the president of Local 799. According to the Rhode Island Ethics Commission, this relationship should have prohibited him participating in this matter.