The New Orleans firefighters’ union filed suit last week against the city and its fire department, alleging Superintendent Roman Nelson is assigning firefighters to higher-responsibility jobs for which they aren’t qualified, denying them additional pay and unlawfully threatening discipline if they refuse.
According to the 19-page lawsuit filed Thursday in Civil District Court, Nelson in a July 31 email told firefighters that “out-of-class” assignments are “an operational necessity” and that firefighters could not refuse such assignments given by a supervisor.
“If no volunteers are available, the Department may be forced to place companies out of service to maintain safety and compliance,” Nelson warned…