DENVER — Denver's firefighters union is taking a national and state labor organization to court, fighting a $389,000 bill for dues it said it doesn't owe after voting to break away from the statewide union nearly two years ago.

Local 858, Denver's firefighters union, said it voted to split from the statewide Colorado Professional Fire Fighters (CPFF) union nearly two years ago, but was billed $388,936.93 by CPFF for unpaid dues in May 2026. Attorneys for Local 858 filed a lawsuit in Denver District Court this month, asking a judge to throw out the bill and declare its break from the state union valid.

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Denver firefighters union sues state union over bill for $389K in unpaid dues

"I don't believe that we owe that money. We didn't use their services for two years," Local 858 President Chris Ferguson said.

Local 858, Denver's firefighters union, says it voted to split from the statewide Colorado Professional Fire Fighters union nearly two years ago, but was billed $388,936.93 by CPFF for unpaid dues in May 2026.

Local 858 represents nearly 1,500 Denver firefighters and EMS personnel, roughly 350 of whom are retired members. Devin Hallock, the union's secretary/treasurer, said union leadership and members voted to leave CPFF after concerns about representation.

"They were coming to us with concerns of not getting represented accordingly for nearly a quarter million dollars that we're paying the state organization every year for their representative services," Hallock said.

Hallock said CPFF's services are better suited for smaller local unions, and that Local 858 — the state's largest local firefighters union — no longer needed the state organization's help with lobbying, hardship assistance or other programs it could provide itself.

Devin Hallock, the union's secretary/treasurer, said union leadership and members voted to leave CPFF after concerns about representation.

Local 858 said it held a series of votes starting in November 2024 to break away from the statewide union. According to the lawsuit, Local 858's executive board voted 7-2 in November 2024 to disaffiliate and permanently stop paying dues to the CPFF. The local had previously voted 5-4 in September 2024 to suspend dues payments for 90 days.

In March 2025, the lawsuit said 59% of Local 858 members voted in favor of disaffiliating from CPFF. Attorneys said members voted 70.6% in favor of forfeiting the local union's charter with the state union a year later.

"I believe that I followed the democratic process. I gave every member of this local an opportunity to vote more than once," Ferguson said.

However, IAFF said the local union did not follow rules in its constitution and by-laws to disaffiliate from the statewide union. IAFF Press Secretary Tim Burn told Denver7 in a statement:

After the November 2024 executive board vote, Local 858 leaders said the CPFF removed two members from its executive board and locked Local 858 members out of its website.

"We were locked out of that website and unable to access any of that information, including bylaws and any type of resolutions that were being passed by the state organization at that time," Hallock said.

Anthony Holtzman, managing attorney at the Fairness Center, a Pennsylvania-based firm representing Local 858, said the group followed the correct steps to break away from the state union.

"Our client's view is that under the law, they can disaffiliate from the state union at any time they see fit, as long as they do it through a process that reasonably reflects the will of the membership of Local 858," Holtzman said.

Hallock said the six-figure bill could threaten member programs built after breaking away from the state union, including hardship assistance, scholarships, and mental health and workplace safety programs.

"We have not only replicated every program that the CPFF provided, we've provided an even better service at a lower cost for our membership. So all those benefits that we worked collectively together to fight for our membership will then be going away if we were forced to be back into this organization," Hallock said.

Hallock said the six-figure bill could threaten member programs they built after breaking away from the state union, including hardship assistance, scholarships, and mental health and workplace safety programs.

Despite the legal fight, both Ferguson and Hallock said the dispute will not affect public safety.

"I know for a fact it will not have any effect on people that we took an oath for," Ferguson said.

"Anything in this endeavor will not, and shall not affect the public safety of the City and County of Denver and the people that we serve," Hallock said.