NAACP, firefighters trying to bridge gap

NAACP, firefighters trying to bridge gap

Angela Carter , Register Staff

06/03/2004

NEW HAVEN — African-American firefighters and the local NAACP decided Wednesday to turn to national civil rights and labor leaders to help mediate a gaping racial divide in the city’s fire department.

About 40 black firefighters and their supporters and members of the NAACP’s Greater New Haven branch met for 2½ hours with state AFL-CIO President John Olsen at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on Whalley Avenue.

Scot X. Esdaile, local NAACP president, and fire Lt. Gary Tinney, a member of the fire union’s executive board, both said that black firefighters seriously are considering pulling out of Local 825 of the state AFL-CIO.

They already have threatened legal action against the union and retained civil rights attorney John R. Williams.

Already strained race relations worsened after the Civil Service Commission deadlocked in a 2-2 vote over whether to certify two promotional exams. The tests were administered to fill 15 vacancies and the top scores went to 14 whites and one Hispanic.

The tests were not certified because of the commission’s tie vote. Subsequently, about one-third of the union’s nearly 350 members voted to sue the city.

Tinney said the low turnout was not a mandate and union funds, collected from all its members, should not be spent on a lawsuit he said would benefit only a few whites. Tinney also said the bargaining unit has failed to equitably represent minorities.

"Let the individuals that want to sue, sue. But the union should not take sides," Tinney said.

Patrick Egan, president of the fire union, could not be reached for comment Wednesday but has said in prior interviews that the union fights hard for all its members and the lawsuit is to find out if the city broke the law by urging the Civil Service Commission to throw out the tests.

Esdaile said the president of the national AFL-CIO and Bill Lucy, a member of the NAACP’s national board, would be invited to New Haven to meet with union leadership, black firefighters and Olsen to try to resolve differences that exploded around the exams.

During the public portion of the meeting, Olsen advised the group to first examine the union’s bylaws to see if there have been any violations. If any are found, then Olsen recommended using internal procedures to address them.

"One thing any court would say to you is that you have to exhaust all your remedies internally," Olsen said.

Esdaile said the racial tensions are a public safety concern and that he hopes Egan agrees to meet with national figures.

"Black firefighters are definitely interested in pulling out. Hopefully, we can exhaust every other channel before that happens," Esdaile said. "I extend a plea to Pat Egan, as president of a union that represents everyone, to have a rational mind and humble spirit and try to mediate this before it gets out of hand."

Alderman Drew King, D-22, of Dixwell, said he attended as a representative of the Board of Aldermen’s Black and Hispanic Caucus, which has met with black firefighters. "We are supporting them," King said.

Angela Carter can be reached at 789-5614 or acarter@nhregister.com.