Two firefighters fired from Mehlville fire district
Board claims violations to harassment policy; union plans lawsuit
Fifteen-year veteran Bob Strinni, president of International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 1889, and paramedic Jeri Fleschert were terminated following a closed session vote by the district’s Board of Directors June 13, Chairman Aaron Hilmer said.
Both Strinni and Fleschert were suspended with pay April 22 and then suspended without pay May 8 pending results of an internal investigation carried out by Metro Security, a private investigative company, into harassment allegations within the district.In addition, Capt. John Schindler was suspended for two days without pay and firefighter John Lipina was suspended without pay for one day, Hilmer said.
Hilmer would not comment except to say the two were terminated for “violating the district’s anti-harassment policy,” while the two suspensions were due to a “violation of district policy.”
“Quite honestly I think this is in the past,” Hilmer said. “We’re going to approve a contract with McGrath & Associates for $44,000 and they’re going to come in and do a management audit and cultural analysis.
“We’re going to ensure that the fire district is providing a harassment-free, safe workplace for the employees, because if we’re not, that spills over into the service for residents and that’s just unacceptable. We’re really focused on moving forward in a positive way right now.”
None of the firefighters could be reached for comment, but John Goffstein, an attorney who represents the IAFF and the fired firefighters, said the terminations came “as no surprise.”
“It is very clear that we will go to court,” Goffstein said. “The (IAFF) has a super-fund and an in-counsel agreement to represent union officers who get fired for discriminatory reasons in the course of their employment for engaging in protected activity. We think that’s what happened here so (the suit) will be filed.
“Hopefully we will prevail,” Goffstein added. “I don’t want to try this case in the newspapers but that’s the next step. I can tell you that in these cases, the (IAFF) has a tremendous record of prevailing.”
Goffstein said the terminations were “clearly retaliation” for past union activities and “unfounded.”
“Strinni has been in this department since 1993 and he’s got a perfect record,” Goffstein said.
Asked if the two firefighters were terminated for engaging in union activities, Hilmer said “absolutely not.”
“Since (the board’s) tenure here there have been many union officers and they’re all still working here,” Hilmer said. “None of them have violated the district anti-harassment policy.”
The district board claimed violations of its harassment policy but never defined specifically the nature of the violations, Goffstein said.
“If (the board) says they didn’t fire these people ... in relation to their union activities and that it didn’t play a significant role, then I have a bridge I want to sell you in Brooklyn,” Goffstein said. “These poor people were just trying to represent their members and they have rights in the workplace too, but this board doesn’t seem to recognize that.”
Asked why a cultural study of the fire district was needed, Hilmer said the district wanted to “examine the culture to see if there’s an environment where it’s conducive to people making violent threats, harassing, racial discrimination or sexual innuendo.
“We really think we ought to go in there and change the culture because when you have a corrosive culture it spills over into your service eventually,” Hilmer said. “We’ve got to nip this thing in the bud.”
