The Newton Firefighters Association said on Monday it is taking legal action against the city for taking down a remembrance flag last week that had been hanging inside Station 4 for the last 2½ years.
Marc Rizza, Local 863 president, said in a statement that hanging the Thin Red Line flag “is a protected activity under the collective bargaining laws of the Commonwealth.”
In response to what Rizza called the city’s “unilateral” action, “Local 863 has filed a charge against the city with the Commonwealth’s Department of Labor Relations.” Mayor Ruthanne Fuller’s office was unable to comment Monday on the union’s decision.
“We fly the remembrance flag in honor of the valiant men and woman who sacrificed so much to protect their communities. Keeping alive the memory of those who gave their all is a deep part of who we are,” said Rizza.