Two sanitation workers are suing the Town of Hempstead, claiming they can't get a promotion unless they help out the GOP.

Robert Nicosia, who has been a sanitation worker with the Town of Hempstead for more than 30 years, says that since he stopped raising money for his local Republican Club, he's been passed up for a number of promotions.

Nicosia says those promotions have been given to younger employees.

"More kids...under me would just become bosses," he says.

James Diehl says he is equally frustrated by what he calls discrimination at District 6. Both men are suing the Town of Hempstead and say employees who do work for Republican Clubs are favored.

"When you ask about the job, you're told you know how it works," Diehl says. "It's a politically driven job."

The lawyer for Sanitary District No. 6 is calling the lawsuit garbage.

"The lawsuits have no merit. Anybody can walk into a clerk's office in federal court and file a lawsuit," he tells News 12 in a statement. "But, they have to prove it and we do not believe they will be able to prove it."

The attorney representing Nicosia and Diehl, Jonathan Tand, disagrees. He says they are suing on grounds of age discrimination and freedom of association.

"It's just the cost of doing business apparently in District 6, in the Town of Hempstead and that's not right," says Tand. "My clients deserve to be treated fairly."

Tand says they haven't yet determined the amount of money for which they will sue. The Nassau GOP spokesman declined to comment on the lawsuit.