Excerpts from DNAinfo.com:
A group of Latino firefighters in Chicago are facing a difficult decision: accept an upcoming promotion to lieutenant, which comes with a $18,000 annual raise, or risk being removed from the promotion list. What makes this situation bittersweet is that they believe their advancement is being rushed due to their race, not their qualifications.
The firefighters had already waited six years since taking the lieutenant exam and were prepared to wait even longer. However, according to their accounts, department officials pressured them into accepting the promotion before some of their colleagues who scored higher on the test. This, they say, feels unfair and undermines their personal pride.
For years, these firefighters had declined race-based promotions twice, choosing instead to wait for a chance to move up through the traditional ranking system. But when the third offer came, Cmdr. Monica Porter reportedly made it clear that refusing again would mean no future chances. Fearing career consequences, they reluctantly accepted the promotion and began attending the fire academy this week.
Jim Tracy, a business agent with the Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2, criticized the city’s policy of threatening minorities with removal from promotion lists. He argued that such practices contradict the goal of increasing diversity within the department. The union recently filed a grievance, claiming that minority firefighters have been pressured to sign documents acknowledging their refusal of affirmative-action promotions, and warned that repeated refusals could lead to being dropped from the list entirely.
The union’s formal complaint asked the department to clarify that those who signed refusal papers would not be penalized. However, the request was denied, and the issue is now heading to arbitration.
Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford defended the practice, stating that out-of-rank promotions are necessary to achieve greater diversity in leadership roles. He explained that the department groups test scores into bands—applicants who scored within about 4 percentage points of each other. When selecting candidates, race is considered to comply with federal consent decrees aimed at improving minority representation in leadership positions. This system was approved by the U.S. Justice Department.
Langford emphasized that while he understands the firefighters’ concerns, the policy is designed to help create a more diverse leadership structure. Currently, 70% of the department’s 571 lieutenants are white, while only 64 are Hispanic and 99 are Black. The city itself is more racially diverse, with 32% white, 33% Black, 29% Latino, and 6% Asian.
The policy also changed recently to eliminate the six-month grace period for delaying promotions. Previously, firefighters could postpone a promotion for six months, but the new rule aims to prevent employees from repeatedly declining assignments they find undesirable. The change was initially intended to encourage paramedics to accept promotions faster, but it now applies across all departments.
Engine 116 Fire Captain Mauricio Rodriguez, who has turned down several affirmative-action promotions over the years, argues that the “three-and-out†rule unfairly targets minority firefighters. He received a letter from former Fire Commissioner Ray Orozco assuring him that his waivers were for internal tracking only and that he wouldn’t be removed from the promotion list.
Thanks Dan
Extraction Tank, Tank, Heat Presevation Tank, Fermentation Tank, Cold Hot Pot
King Whale Machinery Group J.S , https://www.baitextile.com