Medford firefighter sick calls cost city $92,000, mayor says it was "orchestrated event"
MEDFORD - The city of Medford is dealing with an abundance of sick calls within the fire department. The issue started the first Friday in February when Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn said the fire chief alerted her that about a dozen firefighters had called in sick.
It got much worse the next day. "We had 21 firefighters out of 23, they called out for the day shift," said the mayor.
A few days later, Fire Chief John Freedman abruptly retired.
Why so many sick calls?
Why there were suddenly so many sick calls is a mystery since the union settled on a contract back in November.
Some wondered if it was a virus that required isolation.
However, the mayor said most firefighters who called in sick did show up later that same day to fill in for evening shifts. It is a requirement for firefighters to be on a list to fill in when others call in sick, which could be an opportunity to make overtime pay.
"Orchestrated event"?
"It was an orchestrated event. It had to be," said Mayor Lungo-Koehn. She said over five days that week, the city had to pay more than $58,000 in overtime to cover the shifts.
It has taxpayers concerned. "It's a lot of money...I would say investigating is a great idea," said Christina Dorsey, who lives in Medford. "It's bogus and it's manipulative," said resident Bernie Faucher.
How much did the sick calls cost?
The mayor said the ordeal cost the city a total of more than $92,000 in sick pay and overtime costs combined. "That weekend alone could have provided the city with a program manager for the library, or another teacher in our schools, or two to three paraprofessionals or substitutes," she said.
WBZ called, emailed, and visited the Medford Firefighters Local 1032 office for an explanation, and was referred to the Medford Fire Department Headquarters. Firefighters there referred WBZ to the union's attorney. A spokesperson for that office told WBZ its team is working on a response.
Medford's mayor said a work stoppage would be illegal. Her staff is now looking through documented overtime among firefighters over the last few years. She said what she has seen so far causes her even more concern.