By Frank Main
The Chicago Sun-Times
Copyright 2007 Chicago Sun-Times, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
CHICAGO — Four white part-time firefighters claim they were victims of discrimination when south suburban Dolton passed them over for promotion in favor of two black candidates whom they allege were not qualified for the job.
The lawsuit alleges Dolton Fire Chief Jerry McCullough told the white firefighters in a meeting, “If you’re not black, you’re not getting hired.”
Dolton Mayor William Shaw hired two black firefighters to full-time positions on Aug. 11, 2006, even though they did not meet the requirement that they must have been part-time firefighters for at least two years, according to the civil rights lawsuit filed last week in federal court.
Patrick Walsh — a lawyer for white firefighters Doug Brown, Stephanie McKinley-Hart, David Shinault and Donald Shinault — also claimed one of the black firefighters did not take the required written exam, and the other one failed the test.
Hiring list questioned
On Aug. 10, 2006, William Shaw and his twin brother Robert, the village inspector general, allegedly created a fake hiring list that removed the two-year part-time requirement. The Shaws back-dated the list to July 3, 2006 — but the village clerk stamped the list Aug. 11, 2006, the lawsuit said.
That same day, village trustees approved hiring the black firefighters.
The Shinaults returned home from Iraq — where they were working as contract firefighters — after they learned of the openings for the two full-time firefighter positions.