Six years of patronage hiring hit home Friday, as 1,451 people filed claims alleging they were denied city jobs or passed over for promotions because they lacked clout. The claims are part of a settlement between the city and attorney Michael Shakman to end the nearly 40 year old Shakman decree. That agreement, which also created a federal hiring monitor, established a $12 million fund to pay up to $100,000 each in lost earnings to victims of patronage. The Shakman Decree prevents the city from hiring or promoting most people based on political factors.
Taking the time to sort through all of the claims (which only apply to allegations between 2000 and May 2007) won't be easy - or quick. Noelle Brennan, the federal hiring monitor appointed by U.S. District Judge Wayne Andersen, said Monday that she will need more time to investigate the claims and determine how much - if any - each claimant is owed. Brennan, who oversaw the sexual harassment settlement at Mitsubishi Motors in 1998, said she didn't know what the final total for claim awards would be, but that they probably exceed the $12 million in the fund. Her work has already cost the city over $1.65 million. With the feds looking at the Hispanic Democratic Organization, former Streets and Sanitation Commissioner and HDO leader Al Sanchez is still awaiting trial with four others, and more than a year left until the city will have the chance to get out of the Shakman Decree, it seems likely that Chicago will continue to pay the price for years of patronage.
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