Firefighters’ Union President Frank Ricci and Vice President Mark Vendetto.
A state judge who once issued a landmark ruling about unconstitutional funding of Connecticut’s schools has again weighed in on a controversial issue, this time about a labor dispute.
Superior Court Judge Thomas Moukawsher issued the ruling on Dec. 10 in a case pitting New Haven’s firefighters union, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 825, against the Uniformed Professional Firefighters Association of Connecticut (UPFFA).
Local 825 has been seeking to disaffiliate from UPFFA, charging the UPFFA with funny business in handling union money. On Dec. the judge granted Local 825 a temporary restraining order that prevents UPFFA from seeking to collect back dues and in effect makes official Local 825’s disaffiliaton. The judge wrote that he was persuaded by evidence that UPFFA had failed to reimburse personal travel, ““suspiciously” mishandled political action committee mfunds, and took an imporper loan, along with spending far less money than it collected for legislative activity.
““New Haven Fire Fighters were vindicated by having the court declare that the UPFFA has to honor our choice to disaffiliate.”
“I believe the UPFFA attempted to circumvent the court with frivolous charges in an effort to remove the leadership of New Haven Fire Fighters and hide their actions from public scrutiny,” said Local 825 President Frank Ricci, who has just been reelected to a second term in his post.
Judge Moukawsher made headlines in 2016 when he ruled that the state’s method of allocating local education funds violates the Connecticut Constitution.
Once in a while the good guys win.