JACKSON, Miss. — Four female firefighters have won a sexual harassment lawsuit against five colleagues at the Jackson, Miss., Fire Department.
Their case, which was undertaken by the IAFF, had been filed with the city of Jackson without resolve. IAFF President Harold Schaitberger said the four-year legal battle and the recent win in court was emblematic for the organization.
“We have righted a very serious wrong,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “This is a significant win for these four women and the entire IAFF membership as it demonstrates what an effective union can do to enforce legal protections and secure justice for members who are abused on the job and who deserve justice and full relief.”
Firefighters Tiffany Alexander, Sandra Hawkins, Jacqueline Moore and Stacy Prophet compensatory damages of $657,000 and $100,000 in punitive damages against the fire chief, division chief and three captains – all individual defendants in the case. The jury found that the four women had undergone prolonged sexual harassment, causing three of the four women to relinquish their posts.
“It’s a loss to the City of Jackson Fire Department to not have these women as fire fighters,” says Jackson, MS Local 87 President Brendan Falcon. “They were amazing fire fighters.”