Ex-firefighter’s lawsuit puts city, union at odds
City of Fredericton seeks to be removed as third party to court action over International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1053’s duty to fair representation for Gregory Billings
Two named defendants in an ex-firefighter’s lawsuit - the City of Fredericton and the firefighters’ union - had a legal faceoff in court last week, and the plaintiff wasn’t even in the battle.
Former Fredericton firefighter Gregory Billings filed a notice of action and statement of claim in the Court of King's Bench in Fredericton in late 2023, initially alleging he was wrongfully dismissed from his job.
The Kingsley resident alleges his 21 years of employment with the Fredericton Fire Department went off the rails in December 2021. He had argued he was forced out of his job by way of the city’s pandemic-related policies for municipal employees.
However, his statement of claim has since been amended, and the main point of contention is with the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1053, the Fredericton firefighters’ union. Billings is suing the union, alleging it didn’t carry out its duty to represent his interests and fight for his job.