United Women Firefighters

The United Women Firefighters (UWF) was founded in 1982 by the first group of New York City women firefighters to address occupational and sexual discrimination in the New York City Fire Department (NYCFD, also known as the FDNY by the department). Modeled on groups like the Vulcan Society (representing African-American firefighters), the UWF assists women firefighters who have encountered a wide range of problems on the job, from ill-fitting equipment to unjust probation and sexual assault. They have lobbied for training for all officers and firefighters on issues related to women on the job. Representatives of the organization have developed ties with other women firefighters' organizations, including the national coalition, Women in Fire Service. The United Women Firefighters publishes a monthly newsletter, the Voice Alarm. The FDNY began accepting applications from women for the position of firefighter in 1977, but did not hire any women until after Brenda Berkman successfully sued the City of New York on behalf of herself and other women who had passed the written examination. Berkman, a law student at New York University at the time of her application, sued the City under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, questioning the validity of the physical exam. In 1982, Judge Charles Sifton ruled that the City had indeed discriminated against women through its physical exam, known as the 3040 exam, which included tests that were biased against women and unrelated to a firefighter's future performance on the job. The suit and Sifton's ruling sparked controversy in the Fire Department and the media. Litigation related to this original ruling continued until 1988. Berkman, who was a founding member and president of the United Women Firefighters, filed an additional lawsuit against the FDNY in 1992 challenging incidents of sexual harassment directed at women in the department.