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New York City settles racial discrimination suit against fire department
Source: Reuters
New York City settles racial discrimination suit against fire department
BY DANIEL WIESSNER
NEW YORK Tue Mar 18, 2014 1:44pm EDT
(Reuters) - New York City has settled a long-running lawsuit claiming that its fire department intentionally discriminated against minority applicants, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday.
Under the agreement, which must be approved by a federal judge, the city will pay about $98 million in back pay and benefits to black and Hispanic people who took civil service exams to become firefighters in 1999 and 2002, de Blasio's office said in a statement. The city will also implement reforms to the Fire Department of New York's recruiting policies to increase the number of minority firefighters.
The 2007 lawsuit, filed by the U.S. Department of Justice and joined by the Vulcan Society, a fraternal organization of black firefighters, claimed the FDNY's hiring exams and practices had shut out minorities from firefighter jobs. A federal judge in 2011 agreed, but that decision was overturned last year by an appeals court.
Under the settlement, back pay and benefits will go to some black and Hispanic people who did not get fire department jobs after taking the exam and others who were hired, but whose employment was delayed due to alleged discrimination.
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BY DANIEL WIESSNER
NEW YORK Tue Mar 18, 2014 1:44pm EDT
(Reuters) - New York City has settled a long-running lawsuit claiming that its fire department intentionally discriminated against minority applicants, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday.
Under the agreement, which must be approved by a federal judge, the city will pay about $98 million in back pay and benefits to black and Hispanic people who took civil service exams to become firefighters in 1999 and 2002, de Blasio's office said in a statement. The city will also implement reforms to the Fire Department of New York's recruiting policies to increase the number of minority firefighters.
The 2007 lawsuit, filed by the U.S. Department of Justice and joined by the Vulcan Society, a fraternal organization of black firefighters, claimed the FDNY's hiring exams and practices had shut out minorities from firefighter jobs. A federal judge in 2011 agreed, but that decision was overturned last year by an appeals court.
Under the settlement, back pay and benefits will go to some black and Hispanic people who did not get fire department jobs after taking the exam and others who were hired, but whose employment was delayed due to alleged discrimination.
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/18/us-usa-new-york-fire-lawsuit-idUSBREA2H1QZ20140318