St. George Fire Dept Breaks Silence

“If the union wins, will they still lose?”

Response to Fire Chief’s Statement Regarding Pending Litigation:

St. George Professional Firefighters Local 4524

We appreciate the opportunity to correct and complete the public record regarding the pending pay litigation brought by Local 4524 and numerous members of the St. George Fire Department.

The Fire Chief recently issued a statement summarizing one side of the litigation but notably omitted a critical fact that the public — and all firefighters — deserve to know: his legal retaliation only targets those who sued him.

“No employee who is not already in the lawsuit against the Fire District is named as a defendant in the reconventional demand.”—- the Fire Chief stated.

If this were truly about correcting payroll practices, it would logically apply to all employees — not just those exercising their legal rights.

Here’s the truth: IF Local 4524 and the firefighters are successful in court, the Fire Chief and Fire Board have already filed legal documents asking the Court to claw back money from the very firefighters who stood up for fair pay — attempting to force them to repay wages already earned and already spent. This is not about overpayment due to error. It’s an aggressive legal maneuver aimed squarely at those who challenged the system.

This strategy, detailed in their “Reconventional Demand”, seeks monetary judgments against dozens of rank-and-file firefighters. In plain terms:

If we win, they’re trying to make us lose anyway — by taking the money back.

This threat of financial retaliation is a deeply troubling piece of the story that the Fire Chief left out of his department-wide email. Firefighters who have spent their careers protecting this community — often at great personal sacrifice — now face potential personal financial ruin simply for standing up for their rights under the law.

Let’s be clear: Local 4524 is not interested in confrontation. We are demanding correction. We are advocating for pay equity and enforcement of statutory protections that are routinely ignored.

Our mission remains clear and unchanged:

• To serve this community with professionalism and courage;

• To stand up for fairness and justice for our brothers and sisters in the fire service; and

• To ensure transparency and accountability in all government affairs.

“I’m not sure why he was even allowed to send out such an email that clearly admits he is only retaliating against those that sued him. This email should be entered as an exhibit in court to show this is nothing more than a SLAPP lawsuit. Furthermore, this email summarizes to say if they made mistakes the employees will pay for them.” — union officials stated.

We strongly encourage the public to ask questions, examine the facts, and support the men and women who risk everything to keep this community safe. We will not be silenced by threats. We will not back down.

St. George Professional Firefighters Local 4524