PhotoTen black civilian employees of the New York Fire Department say the agency “has engaged in a pattern and practice of systemic, ongoing, continuous and intentional discrimination,” denying them raises and promotions that their white counterparts got and at times subjecting them to retaliation. “In the last three years, the department — under Commissioner Nigro — has implemented extensive and unprecedented progress towards increasing and improving diversity, inclusiveness and fairness throughout the agency — amongst all employees, civilian and uniformed,” Francis X. Gribbon, a department spokesman, said. In 2007, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against the department after the Vulcan Society, a group of black firefighters, said that entrance exams were biased against members of minority groups. complaint states that black civilian employees of the Fire Department receive lower salaries and are routinely passed over for raises and denied promotions. Other black employees said they had been subjected to retaliation because of complaints or disagreements, the complaint says.

Source: New York Times October 13, 2016 00:53 UTC