Why is Marshfield fire chief being let go? What the union says in its complaint

MARSHFIELD − The union representing Marshfield firefighters has filed a labor relations charge against the town and the select board, alleging that comments made during a recent meeting “intended to have a chilling effect on union activity.”

The complaint focuses on statements made by the three-person select board during its March 11 meeting, where members unanimously voted not to renew Fire Chief Jeffrey Simpson’s contract.

The complaint was filed March 14 to the state Department of Labor Relations by Marshfield Firefighters Local 2568.

The statements “amount to conduct that may reasonably be said to tend to interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees in the free exercise of their rights" as laid out in the Massachusetts law that preserves an employee’s right to self-organization, the complaint said.

More: Marshfield payroll: How much town employees are paid. We have the full list

The select board made vague references as to why its members would not be extending Simpson’s contract, including concerns about overtime and management style.

One board member, Stephen Darcy, called Simpson a “good man who’s been taken advantage of,” adding that “the union leadership is not in charge of the Marshfield Fire Department.”

Is the Marshfield fire chief too close to the union?

The union noted that it does not have a say in who the town hires as its fire chief, and the fire chief is not a union member. Simpson was never part of Local 2568 because he joined Marshfield as a fire chief from another town.

“While the union recognizes the right of the board to make such a decision, there is evidence that the board members voted to oust this chief solely due to a perceived close relationship with the union,” the complaint states, noting that these comments could have an impact on not only union activity but “any future amicable relationship with future fire chiefs or the town administrator.”

The statement continued, alleging that the statements and unanimous vote “indicate that the town hopes to exert control (over) the bargaining relationship between the union and the town moving forward, and with it the union’s rights under the law.”

“It is unquestionable that the select board’s comments in open session and the resulting ouster of a fire chief that they decided, without evidence, was being strong-armed by the union, amount to coercive action under the law,” the complaint said.

John Clifford, the labor relations lawyer representing the town, declined to comment.

The remedy that the union seeks is for the town to “cease and desist and make whole.” Make-whole remedies through the National Labor Relations Board typically relate to financial harm.

On Monday afternoon, the select board held an executive session to discuss strategy to prepare for negotiations with Simpson.

Other Marshfield firefighter labor complaints

The complaint marks more than 10 years since the firefighters’ union last filed a labor relations charge against the town.

Five complaints were filed between 2011 and 2013, all of which were withdrawn or settled. Two complaints were available for viewing online on the state Department of Labor Relations website.

The most recent complaint, in September 2013, was made over the then-fire chief replacing a rescue boat with one that was “unreliable and unsafe in a rescue situation,” alleging that he and the town refused to meet and negotiate in good faith about the safety concerns.

The other complaint, filed in November 2012, said the town failed to discuss a mandatory subject of bargaining as it related to required emergency medical dispatch training and certification.

Jeffrey Simpson is not the first fire chief at odds with the town

Kevin Robinson was fire chief at the time of those older complaints. He led the town’s fire department from 2003 to 2015, when he resigned “for the purposes of retirement.” Robinson had been placed on administrative leave over potential ethics violations that were investigated independently.

He later sued the town over age discrimination, but a U.S. District Court judge dismissed the lawsuit in 2019.

Marshfield has had three fire chiefs since then. William Hocking became acting fire chief until he was appointed in August 2015. After Hocking's retirement in 2020, Thomas Corbo served as acting chief until Simpson was hired in 2021 after a career at Norwell’s fire department.

Hannah Morse covers growth and development for The Patriot Ledger. Contact her at hmorse@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Why Marshfield fire chief is being let go, according to union complaint