Naked City

Black Firefighters Break with Union

On Jan. 16, Austin firefighter Ray Hendricks announced that he and nearly all of the 52 African-American fire fighters within the Austin Fire Dept. are breaking ranks with the local firefighters union, the Austin Association of Professional Firefighters. "Within the last four months ... over 85% of the African-American Fire Fighters removed themselves from the Fire Fighters union as a result of what appears to be unfair hiring and labor practices," Hendricks said a prepared statement.

A 22-year veteran of the AFD, Hendricks says the AFD has not proactively pursued its own minority recruitment efforts. Furthermore, he adds, the department's percentage of African-Americans has actually stagnated since a federal consent decree lapsed in 1980. In 1977, only two African-Americans belonged to AFD ranks; under the decree, the department boosted the number to 50. After 22 years, that number has increased by only two, compared to 738 white firefighters.

Hendricks isn't alone in his accusations. In May 2000, Michael Rhone, brother-in-law of State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, filed suit in Travis County District Court claiming that the AFD exhibited racial bias in its hiring practices and violated collective bargaining agreements by declining to accept him into the AFD's 105th cadet class. According to Rhone's petition, AFD Captain David Bunn made derogatory remarks in the margins of Rhone's departmental application. Court filings show that in one instance, near Rhone's explanation as to why he had allowed his auto insurance to lapse, Bunn wrote, "Was this in the time when he didn't think it was important to pay his bills?" In all, the court record reflects five such examples which, combined with other "irregularities" in the department's interview process, showed "racial animus" toward Rhone, wrote Rhone's attorney, David Dickson. According to court records, Rhone's case is still pending.

Got something to say on the subject? Send a letter to the editor.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

Support the Chronicle  

READ MORE
More by Jordan Smith
'Chrome Underground' Goes Classic Car Hunting
'Chrome Underground' Goes Classic Car Hunting
Motoreum's Yusuf & Antonio talk about the biz and their reality TV debut

May 22, 2014

APD Brass Shifts Up, Down, Across
APD Brass Shifts Up, Down, Across
Musical chairs at Downtown HQ

May 9, 2014

MORE IN THE ARCHIVES
One click gets you all the newsletters listed below

Breaking news, arts coverage, and daily events

Keep up with happenings around town

Kevin Curtin's bimonthly cannabis musings

Austin's queerest news and events

Eric Goodman's Austin FC column, other soccer news

Information is power. Support the free press, so we can support Austin.   Support the Chronicle