Twelve white Buffalo (NY) firefighters were awarded a total of almost $2.77M because the city illegally passed them over for promotions.
The men will get an average of $230,430 each, according to a report on BuffaloNews.com (http://bit.ly/wibCDI). The sued the city in 2007, saying that the city illegally allowed two promotional lists to expire because minority firefighters had done poorly on exams.
A state judge ruled that the firefighters–Mark A. Abad, Brad J. Arnone, David T. Denz, Timothy R. Cassel, Joseph P. Fahey, Timothy J. Hazelet, Peter F. Kertzie, Peter J. Lotocki, Eugene J. Margerum, Matthew S. Osinski, Thomas J. Reddington and Scott T. Skinner–should be compensated for emotional distress caused by the city’s decision. A 13th plaintiff who has retired from the fire department was not awarded any compensation.
For more commentary on diversity, racial issues, and promotional and hiring practices in thefire service, considerMerit should matter when hiring,FDIC 2010 Panel Tackles the Diversity Issue,Yelling ?Fire? in a Crowded Theater,Diversity: We Must Define This Issue Before We Can Solve It,A Matter of National Security, andLess Diversity Is Needed in the Fire Service.
