Edison IAFF Local 1197 Sued By Member for Race Discrimination

Posted by: Curt Varone August 24, 2015 1 Comment

A black firefighter in Edison, New Jersey is suing his union for race discrimination over a grievance filed on behalf of two white firefighters that adversely affected him.

Anthoney Robinson, 51, claims that his date of hire was changed without his knowledge as a result of a grievance filed by Edison Firefighters, IAFF Local 1197. The union claims his date of hire was properly adjusted from June 2005 to January 2007 because he was laid off soon after being hired in June, 2005, and rehired in 2007.

IAFF Local 1197 President Robert Yackel was quoted by MyCentralJersey.com as saying “You can’t have two years when you’re not here.”

The suit was filed in Superior Court for Middlesex County. It names IAFF Local 1197 as the defendant, but does not name the city or the fire chief. The complaint is not available as of this posting. Here is more on the story.

About Curt Varone

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.
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