Chicago firefighters are hitting the picket lines after promotional exams were cancelled because of technical problems last week.
Many carried signs Wednesday that said "exam scam 2020," referring to the oral exams scheduled for roughly 1,600 firefighters vying to become lieutenants and 120 candidates for battalion chief.
"When you get a test every 10, 11, 12 years, you may only have one or two opportunities in your whole career to take an exam," said Mark Egan of the Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2.
Firefighters reported to McCormick Place last Monday and Tuesday for the test. Computers started failing on the first day, delaying the test takers for hours. Many were sent home without taking the exam. When problems continued on Tuesday, Fire Commissioner Richard Ford went to McCormick Place to see what was happening and cancelled the exam.