Updated 01/14/2010 06:37 PM
Mayor Blasts Ruling On FDNY Hiring Practices
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Mayor Michael Bloomberg is blasting a judge's finding that the city intentionally discriminated against aspiring black and Hispanic firefighters.
In a ruling Wednesday, a Brooklyn federal judge found the New York City Fire Department continued to use an entrance exam it knew put minority applicants at a disadvantage.
While the mayor was not held personally liable, he sharply disagreed with the overall finding.
"We were very disappointed. We think the judge was wrong on the law. We've worked very hard," Bloomberg said. "If you remember, when I came into office, it was right after 9/11, so we used the old test because we had to recruit right away. We didn't have the luxury of going out and revisiting and starting the process of building a new test base."
Bloomberg says the test was rewritten in 2006 and that the city began more actively recruiting minorities under Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta, with minorities now making up 35 percent of the FDNY hiring list.
The city says it intends to appeal the judge's decision.