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Sunday, February 08, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





Turning a racial slur into a turning point &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Can the sorry case of two Wilkes-Barre firefighters who hung racist posters
on city property result in anything positive? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Yes, if the city abandons plans for a costly appeal of an arbitrator's
ruling in the matter and instead concentrates on instituting racial
sensitivity training for all employees and drafting a comprehensive policy for
handling such cases in the futureThere are no clear winners or losers in this
case and certainly no heroes. That's usually a good formula to begin building
a consensus that will move all of us forward. Let's total up the score for
each party. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 White firefighters Gary Guesto and Alan Klapat, who have admitted to
hanging the posters, were suspended without pay, had their paths to job
advancement temporarily blocked and were ordered to perform community service
and attend sensitivity training at their own expense. They appealed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 An arbitrator overturned many of those punishments imposed by the city,
ruling they were excessive. But he concluded Guesto and Klapat had indeed
engaged in conduct worthy of discipline, including suspension without pay.
They'll be reimbursed about $11,000 of the approximately $19,000 the
discipline cost them, most of it from lost wages. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Black city employee Robert Harris, whose picture was affixed to the racist
posters, has seen some sort of justice served by the discipline meted out to
Guesto and Klapat. Harris, for the most part, has ably dealt with pressure
from the city, fellow employees and activist groups, all of whom have their
own stake in this controversy. But Harris, by filing suit against the city,
Guesto and Klapat, has squandered much of the good will he earned immediately
after the March 1997 incident when he called for leniency for the two
firefighters. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Finally, city Mayor Thomas McGroarty has portrayed the arbitrator's
decision as a victory for the firefighters and their union. But, as noted
above, the arbitrator's ruling on the main question- whether Klapat and Guesto
committed a racist act that was worthy of discipline- went the city's way. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The city has won that crucial point after spending about $40,000, which
does not even include its legal fees. Further legal action will certainly cost
more than the city could ever hope to recoup. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Instead, the city should note some conclusions in the arbitrator's report
that point in more constructive directions. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The arbitrator noted that while the city did introduce sensitivity training
for fire department employees after the incident, it consisted of a two-hour
session that was given only to firefighters who happened to be working when an
instructor was available. The city should explore mandatory training for all
employees in all departments. This is not the first racial incident involving
city employees and such training would communicate to employees how seriously
the administration takes such matters. It would also make future incidents
much less lik

Turning A Racial Slur Into A Turning Point 
Can The Sorry Case Of Two Wilkes-barre Firefighters Who Hung Racist Posters On 
City Property Result In Anything Positive? 
Yes, If The City Abandons Plans For A Costly Appeal Of An Arbitrator's Ruling 
In The Matter And Instead Concentrates On Instituting Racial Sensitivity 
Training For All Employees And Drafting A Comprehensive Policy For Handling 
Such Cases In The Future.