In the now exploding “Firehouse Postings” controversy, with the UFA considering suing over Free Speech infringements, Fire Department officials are now saying they never intended to keep firefighters from posting benign items.
How so?
As noted in virtually EVERY report on the controversy, Merit Matters has appeared to be the target of that new directive!
Merit Matters has consistently sought equal OPPORTUNITY for all, with special privilege or treatment for NONE and in keeping with that, Merit Matters has supported and fought for both the merit system and higher standards for the Emergency Services.
None of that is a violation of existing equal opportunity policy.
It is proponents of race-based preferences and special treatment based on ethnicity and gender who violate the basis of equal opportunity with calls for “equality of results/outcomes.”
The city itself scuttled standards with Exam 6019, which was largely an “opinion survey,” with a large number of questions having multiple accepted answers! It is New York City’s government itself that acquiesced to demands for targeted recruitment and more recently, targeted assistance (the Vulcans being allowed to contact black applicants who failed to complete their applications).
All of this highlights the hypocrisy of the charge that “New York City agencies should look like New York City.”
The fact is, NONE of New York City’s agencies look anything like New York City. Ironically enough, the ONLY ethnic group that is OVER-represented by more than 10% their numbers in the city’s population are non-Latino blacks, who comprise 23% of New York City’s population and 36% of the city’s workforce (SEE: http://www.citylimits.org/news/articles/4038/the-whitest-city-agencies) an OVER-representation of more than 50% their numbers in New York City!
Non-Latino whites, by comparison, comprise 35% of New York City’s population and 38% of its workforce (a nearly 9% OVER-representation). Asians (a group that judge Garaufis claims is NOT a “minority” for the purposes of his decision) and Hispanics are both UNDER-represented within New York City’s workforce.
Why isn’t more recruitment done CITYWIDE for EVERY city agency? Why is the MOST over-represented group (non-Latino blacks) targeted, while the two most UNDER-represented groups NOT targeted for recruitment? Why aren’t City agencies like the Department of Corrections (nearly 80% non-Latino black) and the Department of Education (nearly 80% female), among many others also forced to recruit workforces that “Look more like New York City?”
Moreover, there is no actual definition of what “looking like New York City” should be. What level of OVER-representation is acceptable?
Is it 10% above one’s numbers in the population? If so, then virtually EVERY New York City agency is out of compliance and should be actively recruiting workforces that better reflect New York City’s population.
Right now both New York City AND the FDNY’s EEO Division are in violation of their own stated policies that bar special consideration and unequal treatment based on race, religion, ethnicity, gender, etc.
What the FDNY’s “New Directive” seems designed to do is to censor and suppress opinions that merely support the ideals they claim to stand for and highlight the hypocrisy of the demands for special privilege and treatment within the FDNY that have occurred under the aegis of both New York City and the FDNY’s EEO Division.
SEE: Staten Island Advance article: http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/01/fliers_a_flashpoint_between_fd.html
JMK
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