Minority firefighters set to sue union

William Kaempffer , Register Staff 05/28/2004

NEW HAVEN — A group of minority firefighters are threatening legal action against the fire department’s union, which they claim favors whites over blacks. The group retained John R. Williams, a prominent New Haven civil rights attorney, and held a press conference Thursday that was short and to the point. "This union has for far too long been getting away with taking the position of favoring the position of Caucasian firefighters and opposing the interest of the minority members of the department," said Williams. Williams said he will file complaints against the union with the state Labor Department and state Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. Administrative complains with the agencies often are the first steps of filing a civil lawsuit. Officials from Local 825, meanwhile, said the accusations were unfounded and inflammatory. "That’s an unfair and totally inaccurate claim," said Firefighter Patrick Egan, the union president. "We fight very hard for all our members." The complaints were prompted by a union decision to sue the city over two derailed promotional examinations for fire captain and fire lieutenant. White firefighters scored dramatically better than minority counterparts and city officials urged the civil service commission to throw out the tests. On May 12, the union membership voted to file lawsuit challenging the city’s actions. Egan and Lt. James Kottage, the union vice president, said the lawsuit’s aim is to find out if the city broke the law. "The members decision to challenge this is to ultimately get a definitive ruling from a judge and to have the law abided by and everybody should want that," Egan said. But fire Lt. Gary Tinney, a minority member who opposed the suit, maintains that white union leadership sold out its black members. Firefighter Wayne Ricks, the president of the Firebird Society, a fraternal group of minority firefighters, said there’s been discussion by minorities of pulling out of the Local 825. The Greater New Haven branch of the NAACP, which held the press conference, is to meet with the state president of the AFL-CIO, of which Local 825 is a member, in hopes of mediating the situation. During heated debate over the tests, some minority firefighters made claims of cheating while white firefighters said they scored better because they studied harder. The rancor continued at the May union vote on the lawsuit. Tinney condemned union leadership for not holding a secret ballot, calling it a bullying tactic to prevent people from voting their conscience. Only about one-third of members turned out for the vote. The two civil service exams were administered last year and city officials raised concerns in January after learning few minorities and no blacks would be eligible for immediate promotion. Months later, after contentious debate polarized the department, a tied civil service commission vote effectively killed the tests. A group of about 18 mainly white firefighters has threatened to sue. Williams didn’t say how many minority firefighters he represents. "We’re doing what we think is right for everyone," said Kottage. Ricks, though, said it’s "not the right thing, but the white thing."

©New Haven Register 2004