Jackson Township has just agreed to pay $425,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by its former Municipal Engineer, Daniel J. Burke, closing an over four-year legal battle over allegations of workplace retaliation and discrimination, FAA News has learned.
Burke, 62 at the time of his termination in 2018, claimed in his complaint that township leaders systematically mistreated him after he raised concerns about unequal treatment of non-unionized employees and spearheaded the effort to form a supervisors’ union.
According to the lawsuit, non-unionized staff like Burke endured “pay freezes” and even “a twenty percent (20%) pay cut” through furloughs, while union employees received negotiated raises and overtime. When Burke and others approached Mayor Michael Reina and then-Business Administrator Terence M. Wall to address the inequities, the two leaders allegedly rebuffed them.
The complaint quotes Reina and Wall as telling Burke and his colleagues they should either “seek employment elsewhere or form a union.”
Burke did just that. He played a central role in creating the Jackson Township Municipal Supervisors Association (JTMSA), later certified by the state Public Employment Relations Commission in 2015. But after the union was formed, Burke alleged the administration retaliated by stripping him of his stipend as Director of Community Development and undermining his role.
The complaint further claimed township officials sought to “weaken the unit” by filing “false claims and misleading statements” with state regulators. Ultimately, Burke alleged he was forced out of his longtime position because of his union activities and age.
Represented by F. Kevin Lynch, Esq., of East Brunswick, Burke pressed his claims through the courts before finally reaching a $425,000 settlement.
The case is not the only costly legal matter Jackson Township has faced recently. Earlier this year, it paid $850,000 to settle a separate lawsuit brought by former Director of Public Works Fred Rasiewicz, who claimed he was retaliated against for raising concerns about his department.
Together, the two payouts total more than $1.2 million, prompting renewed scrutiny from residents over township leadership and fiscal accountability.
Township officials have not yet issued any public comment on the settlement.
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