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Discrimination lawsuit filed against Chicago over fire test
The Chicago Sun-Times recently published an article detailing a new legal challenge brought by women who failed the physical abilities test used by the Chicago Fire Department (CFD). The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court on Friday, claims that the test is discriminatory against women and violates their rights.
The case, titled *Godfrey et al. v. City of Chicago*, was initiated by 20 female plaintiffs on behalf of all women who took the test and did not pass. These women are already involved in two other class-action lawsuits. They were part of *Lewis et al. v. City of Chicago*, which involved over 6,000 African-American applicants who challenged a 1995 entrance exam found to be racially biased. That case was settled last year, with the city agreeing to hire 111 of the affected applicants and pay up to $78 million in damages.
Additionally, these plaintiffs are also part of *Vasich v. City of Chicago*, a separate lawsuit filed last year on behalf of women who passed the written exam but failed the physical test. Attorney Marni Willenson, who represents some of the women in the *Godfrey* case and is lead counsel for *Vasich*, argues that the test doesn’t accurately measure the skills required to be a firefighter and unfairly excludes women.
“We’ve been in settlement discussions for a year, yet the city decided to use this same test again,†she said. “It’s not just about fairness—it’s about ensuring that the hiring process is truly based on job-related criteria.â€
The physical test includes tasks like arm and leg lifts, arm endurance tests, hose dragging, and stair climbing. According to the lawsuit, women are disproportionately excluded by this test compared to men. In 2011, women made up only 2% of the more than 5,000 firefighters and emergency medical technicians in the department.
This marks the third time that the physical abilities test has been challenged in court by women. In 2008, five women who failed the paramedic version of the test filed a lawsuit, which is still ongoing in federal court.
The *Godfrey* suit seeks back pay, compensation for past discrimination, and long-term reforms to ensure fairer hiring practices. It highlights ongoing concerns about gender bias in public safety recruitment and the need for more inclusive and equitable testing methods.
Read the entire article HERE.