Some 1,100 upper-level Black employees of the Education Department won a nine- year lawsuit for racial discrimination. This suit started in 1991 and was settled only a week ago.

The class action suit stated that job descriptions were vague, decisions about advancements were so arbitrary as to preclude Black employees from advancement. The attorneys for this case labeled the actions of the department as a racial class ceiling.

As a result of the settlement, the Department of Education must grant 34 promotions and make policy changes in writing job descriptions and make adjustments to the length of time jobs are posted.

This agreement will be monitored by the Federal Courts for four years, and it can not be voided by the Bush administration. []