A black firefighters organization has settled its 2015 lawsuit against the city of St. Louis over disputed promotion examinations.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the lawsuit by more than 130 black firefighters and the Firefighters Institute for Racial Equality claimed the exams for captain and battalion chief were racially discriminatory, particularly as applied to candidates for captain.
Under the settlement filed in federal court Tuesday in St. Louis, the department will continue using a list of candidates that passed the disputed 2013 promotional exam until new exams can be held in the second half of 2018.
The agreement says it was meant to ensure that future promotional exams for captain and battalion chief positions don't discriminate on the basis of race. It also seeks to make the exam process transparent.
