Firefighter Union’s Allegations against the Town are Grossly Misleading
(NEWS RELEASE) Some of the allegations made in a lawsuit recently filed against the Town of Florence by the local firefighter’s union, and the headline of the story reporting the action in the March 5, 2015 issue of the Florence Reminder Blade, are a gross misrepresentation of the actual facts.
“The Town generally doesn’t respond to specific inquiries when litigation is filed,” explained Mayor Tom Rankin. “However, the facts provided by the attorneys representing the local firefighter’s union that appeared in their lawsuit and in the recent article in the Florence newspaper were a misrepresentation of the facts in such a magnitude that the Town feels it has no choice but to respond and set the record straight.”
The lawsuit alleges the Town of Florence ignored “governmental direction for years” about Social Security coverage for firefighters, and cites two letters from 1985 and 1987. The attorney representing the firefighter’s union is quoted as saying “the wrongful withdrawals go back to at least 1985”. In reality, the Town of Florence did not employ full-time firefighters until 1997.
The Town of Florence did withhold Social Security contributions for firefighters, as well as contribute the employer portion to the Social Security Administration, as part of the payroll process. At the time, the Town believed it was acting correctly, based on opinions provided by attorneys and other professionals in a position to provide advice on these types of matters.
