Politics

An arbitrator has ordered the reinstatement of Omaha Firefighters IAFF Local 385 President Steve LeClair. LeClair had been terminated earlier this year following an off-duty incident. The arbitrator found that the city lacked just cause to terminate LeClair, while acknowledging his conduct warranted some discipline.

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A Boston firefighter who was fired last year over incendiary social media posts has filed suit to challenge a state civil service ruling that upheld his termination. Octavius Rowe was fired by the Boston Fire Department on April 30, 2018 following a lengthy investigation.

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Former Selma Fire Chief Toney D. Stephens has filed suit claiming that Mayor Darrio Melton made his working conditions so intolerable that he was left with no alternative but to resign in April, 2019. Chief Stephens alleges Mayor Melton retaliated against him because of his protected political activities.

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A firefighter for the City of Rocky River, Ohio who lives in the City of Olmsted Falls, has filed suit against the mayor of Olmsted Falls accusing him of violating his free speech rights by trying to get him to remove a political sign from his yard. Scott Solarz filed suit against Olmsted Falls Mayor James Graven earlier this month.

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A federal court in Texas has ruled that the City of San Antonio was within its rights to restrict members of San Antonio Firefighters IAFF Local 624 from seeking signatures for two ballot initiatives in 2018 on certain city owned properties. Local 624 sought to have the city’s policies prohibiting political activities declared unconstitutional in violation of the First Amendment.

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The Massachusetts Civil Service Commission has upheld the termination of an outspoken African American firefighter from Boston who was terminated for his offensive social media posts. Octavius Rowe, a 15 year veteran, was fired on April 30, 2018 after a lengthy investigation.

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A Muslim FDNY firefighter who claims the city granted him a religious accommodation from its no beard requirement, and then without cause withdrew it last year, has filed a religious discrimination suit. Steven Daniel filed suit alleging the city’s refusal to continue to allow him to maintain “close-cropped facial hair” constitutes illegal religious discrimination.

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A St. Petersburg fire lieutenant who was diagnosed with cancer last year, and who was denied coverage under Florida’s newly enacted cancer presumption law, has filed suit. Lt. Jason Francis filed suit against the city of St. Petersburg. He filed for benefits under Florida Statutes 112.1816 on July 1, 2019, which incidentally was the day the law went into effect.

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Today’s Burning Question: If someone files suit against a fire department and loses, shouldn’t they have to pay the city’s legal bills? Answer: That is not how our legal system works. Let’s use a recent case out of Sebring, Florida to better understand the issues.

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A Rhode Island fire lieutenant who was terminated last year during a contentious battle between town officials and firefighters, has been reinstated as part of the settlement of a number of outstanding legal issues. The Town of East Greenwich agreed to reinstate Lieutenant Robert Warner. Lt. Warner was terminated for insubordination and conduct unbecoming.

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A magistrate judge has recommended the dismissal of the First Amendment claims of a white Columbia fire captain who threatened on Facebook to run over Black Lives Matter protestors. However, he also recommended that the Captain be allowed to make his case to a jury that his termination constituted race discrimination.

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Cedar Falls Firefighters, International Association of Firefighters Local 1366, filed suit last week in Black Hawk County District Court to block the city’s attempt to promote 9 police officers into newly created positions of authority within the fire department.

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A fire captain who was competitively selected and offered the fire chief’s job in Ypsilanti, Michigan, only to have the offer rescinded due to an outcry by elected officials over his race, has filed a discrimination suit in federal court.

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Two Brevard firefighters have been fired over a social media post that criticized the city manager for wearing a military uniform to a memorial day parade that was a mix of two different branches. Former firefighter Richard Carl Travis shared a photo of Brevard City Manager Jim Fatland on Facebook along with the comment...

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