White Firefighters to Get $3.5 Million

A federal jury Friday awarded a total of about $3.5 million to six white Chicago firefighters who said they lost out on key promotions due to the city’s affirmative action plan.

The firefighters said their high scores on a 1986 lieutenant’s exam should have paved the way for future promotions and better pay and benefits.

But the city’s affirmative action practices slowed their progress, they argued.

{snip}