Miami firefighters union to weigh in on fate of fired members

Men accused of bullying black co-worker want their jobs back

MIAMI – Miami's firefighters union will decide Tuesday whether to assist six members who were fired after they were accused of "sexually explicit and racially offensive conduct."

The men have filed grievances with the union contesting their terminations.

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In September, Lt. Robert Webster, who is black, found a noose made of twine placed over his belongings at work. Several of his family photos on his desk had also been defaced with sexually explicit symbols.

The Miami Department of Fire Rescue launched a investigation and in November the city fired six of Webster's colleagues -- Capt. William W. Bryson, Lt. Alejandro Sese, David Rivera, Harold Santana, Justin Rumbaugh and Kevin Meizoso. 

The Miami International Association of Firefighters says its executive board will review the evidence in the case at a meeting Tuesday.

"Board members will review each individual firefighter's discipline and determine if it was just or excessive according to their involvement in the case," union President Freddy Delgado said.

Previously, Delgado had said that the incident was disturbing.

"We expect all of our members to be provided a safe, comfortable workplace, and also to be provided fair and complete investigations and just discipline when it's warranted," Delgado said in November. 

On Monday, in a letter to Delgado, the Miami-Dade branch of the NAACP called the case "a direct attack on the African-American community." 

"The choice of a noose clearly has significance beyond any individual dispute," the NAACP branch wrote. "The noose was used through lynching to force black people to at least publicly, accept the white supremacy of segregation."