A union representing public works employees in Revere accused Acting Mayor Patrick Keefe of threatening them because the union endorsed an opponent of his in the race to succeed former Mayor Brian Arrigo.

The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council 93 Local 880 filed a complaint with the state Department of Labor Relations on July 26 that accuses Keefe of making hostile comments toward union members at a July 25 meeting in Revere, according to a copy obtained by the Herald.

But Keefe is firing back, saying in a statement provided by a city spokesperson that the report from the union is a “fabricated exaggeration of my frustration” and he does not “have time for petty political arguments.”

“(The report) exposes the ugly underbelly of dirty politics and it will be handled professionally through the proper channels and protocols for any complaint of this nature,” Keefe said in the statement.

The complaint said Keefe — who became acting mayor in April and is now running against three others to serve in the position for a full term — arrived at the Department of Public Works with “administrative assistants to speak with the employees over issues within the department.”

The meeting, which consisted of union and non-union workers, occurred days after Local 880 announced its support of Councilor-at-Large Daniel Rizzo’s mayoral bid.

A union member told Keefe about staffing issues the department was facing and the challenges the bargaining unit was experiencing as a result, according to the complaint.

Keefe allegedly responded to the member with “something to the effect of, ‘if you did not endorse the person who stopped me from hiring guys, we would not have this problem,’” the complaint said.

“After this comment was made, the bargaining unit began to feel uncomfortable by Mr. Keefe’s demeanor and tone,” the complaint said. “As Mr. Keefe proceeded to leave the DPW, he stated something to the effect of, ‘I will burn every last one of you that did not vote for me if I get elected,’” the complaint said.

The union said in the complaint that their decision to endorse a political candidate “constitutes concerted, protected activity.”

“The acting mayor’s threats against the local for endorsing his opponent are a clear violation of the law,” the union wrote in the complaint, which was signed by AFSCME Council 93 Associate General Counsel Justin Murphy and Revere Human Resources Director Lina Tramelli.

A spokesman for the union declined to comment on the pending complaint but confirmed its authenticity.

In an interview with the Herald on Wednesday, Keefe said the statements outlined in the complaint were “not accurate.” He said the meeting with the DPW was set up weeks in advance as part of an attempt to have staff meetings with different departments.

“I want to make sure that this follows standard union protocols and standard HR protocols, that any complaint, whatever it may be, just be handled in a professional manner,” he said. “The comments and the accusations are extremely misleading.”

Frustrations aired at the meeting stemmed from worries that open positions within Revere’s Department of Public Works would remain unfilled for months, from April when Keefe took over from Arrigo to January when a new mayor takes office.

Part of the hang-up was a debate over whether Keefe had the authority to hire for open positions as acting mayor. It led to an outside legal firm being brought in to weigh in on the matter, which said Keefe could hire for open positions but not make department head or senior-level appointments.

Keefe said four people have been onboarded for positions at the Department of Public Works since he took over.

Keefe said the city’s labor attorney is involved in the situation.

“If you look back … I can only guess that there’s going to have been dozens and dozens of DLR filings in the city over the years. And I could say that most cities have a lot of DLR filings, they happen all the time. And so that this is even being highlighted is pretty questionable and unusual,” Keefe said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Labor, which will decide if the complaint moves forward to a formal hearing or is dismissed, declined to comment, citing an ongoing investigation.

An affidavit included in the complaint signed on July 26 by a craftsman in the Department of Public Works said Keefe held the meeting on July 25 to discuss “issues within the department.”

“However, this meeting quickly turned into a discussion about political affiliations,” the affidavit said. “During this meeting, Mr. Keefe started to yell and swear, stating that he was ‘Patrick Keefe’ while hitting his chest.”

The name of the person who signed the affidavit was redacted, but the person was identified as the assistant coach for the Revere High School girls’ basketball team.

The person said at the end of the meeting, Keefe allegedly pointed at them and said “thanks a lot, coach,” according to the affidavit.

“After Mr. Keefe stated this, I went to speak with him outside,” the person wrote in the affidavit. “I was very upset with how he called me out in front of the bargaining unit, and in response he stated, ‘I will burn every last one of you that did not vote for me if I get elected.”

The person in the affidavit said they “took this statement as a threat, and I am afraid my career with the city is in jeopardy.”

Keefe said there were many people at the meeting and some remarks were taken out of context.

“I think that they’re being inaccurate,” he said in the interview.