3 Charlotte firefighters who sued over promotions denied again

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The head of the Charlotte Firefighters Association is asking the city to stop all fire department promotions after three firefighters who sued over unfair practices were denied promotion again.

In a settlement of the lawsuit, the City of Charlotte agreed that captains Michael Clumpner, Eric Withers, and Jeffrey Matthews would be promoted to battalion chief and given back pay after former chief John Hannan refused to promote them. The agreement was contingent upon the Civil Service Board approving the promotions, but at its meeting Tuesday, it voted 6-1 to deny them.

Some firefighters and city officials say the decision is unprecedented.

"We can't think of another time in the history of this Civil Service Board where they have denied a promotion and we believe they should respect Chief Key's decision," said Charlotte Firefighters Association President Tom Brewer.

Brewer said he's hopeful the men will ultimately be promoted, and he wants the city to reevaluate the entire process to make sure it is truly merit base - with numerical scores for each part of the process.

"The fire department has admitted they did not follow policies and procedures and these individuals should have been promoted," he said.

Past coverage:

• New Charlotte Fire Department chief named
• 9 Investigates how CFD spends taxpayer money
• Former CFD arson investigator wins civil suit against city
• Charlotte's fire chief accused of not promoting women, minorities
• CFD leaders respond to allegations of failing to promote women, minorities
• New records highlight lack of diversity at Charlotte Fire Department
• Charlotte fire chief receives well wishes ahead of retirement
• Charlotte Fire Department takes applications for new chief
• Interim Charlotte Fire Chief on diversity: 'I want to be inclusive
• Firefighters unite against letter claiming discrimination inside CFD
• Battalion Chief: Charlotte Fire filmed pricey watch commercial on duty

We've reached out to members of the Civil Service Board to find out why they voted against the promotions and are waiting for their response. The city says it is working with the firefighter's attorney on where to go from here.

Last year, the department started receiving criticism over its promotions process. We received anonymous letters claiming women and minorities were not being treated and promoted fairly. The department admitted it's struggling with diversity, but says it's investing in recruiting more diverse candidates.

Cox Media Group