HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 03021993 - IO.8 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS 1 .0.-8
Contra
FROM: INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE •� .•
Costa
County
DATE: February 22, 1993
SUBJECT: RESPONSE TO ISSUES RAISED BY THE BLACK EMPLOYEES ' ASSOCIATION
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATIONS :
A. Authorize the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors to sign a
letter to the President of the Black Employees ' Association,
responding to each of the points made in Mr. Madden' s November
3, 1992 written comments to the Board of Supervisors as well
as to those recommendations approved by the Board of
Supervisors November 3, 1992 in the Internal Operations
Committee report on this subject resulting from the
Committee' s discussion with the members of the Black
Employees ' Association on October 26 , 1992 .
B. Adopt the following as the Board' s response to the points
raised both in the Internal Operations Committee report which
the Board approved on November 3, 1992 and in Mr. Madden' s
written report which was presented to the Board of Supervisors
on November. 3, 1992 :
1 . Reaffirm the Board's decision of July 20, 1992 to
increase the likelihood of retaining existing employees
and thereby retaining the gains in the hiring of women
and minorities which have been achieved in the past few
years by trying to rehire laid off employees into
available vacancies for which the employee has the
training and experience. Request the Director of
Personnel to determine what changes in the seniority
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: _Y_—YES SIGNATURE:
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARJJEF
--
APPROVE OT.
W
SIGNATURE s: SUNNE WRIGHT Mc EAK H
It
ACTION OF BOARD ON Marc , APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. G
ATTESTED !/ �r�O�=�'•� / / ��
Contact: PHIL BATCHELOR.CLERK OF THE BOARD OF
M. See Page 7SUPERVISORS.AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
.
BY DEPUTY
I .O.-8
system or otherwise would be necessary in order to make
it possible to provide laid off employees with the right
to be hired for any job for which the employee is
qualified by training and experience, not just for a
position in the classification from which the employee
was laid off, and report to our Committee on December 14,
1992 .
Response: The Personnel Department has a system in place
to ensure that laid-off employees are notified when
positions for which they may qualify are to be filled.
The Personnel Management Regulations require all
applicants meet the minimum qualifications . However, the
Personnel Director can relax the strict interpretation of
this regulation by revising "minimum qualifications" to
"desirable qualifications" in selected job classes . This
change would require meet and confer deliberations with
the employee organization that represents the target job
class . Such revisions could be established with a sunset
provision that would be predetermined and agreed to in
advance. This change would greatly increase employment
opportunities for laid-off workers .
The Personnel Department is reviewing all regulations
controlling appointments to determine what changes could
be implemented to expand the opportunities for laid-off
workers to be rehired in job classes other than that from
which they were laid off.
Revisions of the seniority regulations raise issues that
are extremely complex. It is important to point out that
any change in seniority rules will adversely impact
someone. Further, the Personnel Director has been
advised by the County Counsel 's Office that seniority
regulations adopted before the passage of the Civil
Rights Act have some protection from the Courts .
However, this protection is lost if changes are made in
these regulations .
We can also anticipate that employee groups will only
support revisions that would count total County service
for purposes of determining seniority for lay offs. The
Personnel Director has agreed to pursue this matter
further with the County Counsel 's Office.
The Personnel Director will soon implement a Tactical
Employment Team that will concentrate its efforts on the
special employment problems of our protected employee
groups . The mission for this unit is currently being
developed and the implementation document will be
forwarded to the Internal Operations Committee and the
Board of Supervisors for their review, comment and
approval . In addition, we are requesting the Personnel
Director to make available to each Department Head a list
of all laid-off employees who have not yet obtained
employment and offer to make the employees ' background
and qualifications available to any department upon
request.
2 . Reaffirm the intent of the Board of Supervisors to hire,
through normal merit system hiring procedures, qualified
recipients of minority-based scholarships such as the
Kennedy-King Scholarships, who complete college.
Response: The attached memorandum outlines the approach
the Personnel Director recommends in carrying out the
Board of Supervisors ' directive. The Personnel Director
recommends that our initial efforts be aimed at a summer
internship program in recognition of the current fiscal
crisis and proposed cutbacks .
-2-
I .O.-8
3 . Request the Affirmative Action Officer to prepare and
arrange to have distributed with paychecks within the
next two months a flyer providing her name, address and
telephone number and a brief description of what action
an employee can take if the employee believes he or she
has been discriminated against.
Response: A flyer was prepared discussing the County's
and Departments ' Affirmative Action Plans . The
Affirmative Action Coordinators ' name and telephone
number, along with the name, location, and telephone
number of the County's Affirmative Action Officer was
also listed. The Administrative Bulletin on the County's
Discrimination Complaint Procedure was included with the
flyer and was to have been distributed to all employees
with the December 10, 1992 pay checks . A number of
employees now report that this materials was not
distributed to them. We are, therefore, requesting that
the Affirmative Action Officer make this information
available to the Auditor-Controller's Office for
distribution with pay checks by no later than June 10,
1993 . In addition, a memo should be sent to all
Department Heads by the County Administrator in advance
of the time the material is to be distributed to alert
all Department Heads to the fact that the material will
be available and is to be distributed to each employee
without fail .
4 . Request the Affirmative Action Officer to write an
article on Affirmative Action and the County' s
Affirmative Action Program and ask that it be published
in all departmental newsletters as a means of informing
employees of the County' s Affirmative Action Program.
Response: The article was prepared and distributed to
the Departmental Affirmative Action Coordinators at their
February, 1993 quarterly meeting. Coordinators will be
asked to place the article in their upcoming newsletters
in order to inform their employees of the County's
Affirmative Action Program. The County Administrator
should be asked to send a memo to each Department Head
indicating that this information has been made available
to the Department's Affirmative Action Coordinator and
that the Board of Supervisors would appreciate the
Department Head's cooperation in publishing the article
at the Department's earliest convenience.
5 . Request all Department Heads to communicate in an
appropriate manner with all employees in the Department
to insure that the employees know who the Affirmative
Action Coordinator is and what action should be taken by
an employee who believes that he or she has been the
victim of discrimination.
Response: See responses to issues #3 above and #11
below.
6 . Request the Affirmative Action Officer to consider the
viability of panels of employees willing to volunteer
their time to serve on such panels, for the purpose of
mediating discrimination complaints and report her
conclusions and recommendations to our Committee as a
part of her semi-annual report on December 14, 1992 .
Response: The Affirmative Action Officer has recommended
against the use of panels of volunteer employees to
mediate discrimination complaints . On January 5, 1993
the Board of Supervisors acknowledged this recommendation
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I .O.-8
and asked the Affirmative Action Officer in her next
report to the Internal Operations Committee to report on
the number of requests for mediation that have been
received in the most recently available period of time,
how they have been handled, and what the outcome of the
complaints has been.
7 . Request the Affirmative Action Officer to convene
meetings of departmental Affirmative Action Coordinators
on at least a quarterly basis during calendar years 1993
and 1994 for the purpose of insuring adequate
communication with and between departmental Affirmative
Action Coordinators .
Response: This recommendation has been implemented and
the first such quarterly meeting has been held.
8 . Authorize the Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory
Council to make recommendations regarding the manner in
which departmental Affirmative Action Coordinators are
appointed.
Response: The Affirmative Action Officer reports that
the Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Council has
been advised of the Board's request and has been placed
on the agenda for the December 4, 1992 Council meeting.
The Council has been asked to review the current
procedure on how coordinators are selected, and to
prepare recommendations. Those recommendations have not
yet been filed with our Committee.
9 . Request the Director of Personnel to provide the Internal
Operations Committee with a status report December 14 ,
1992 on how many new and current employees have been
provided the training on Affirmative Action/Equal
Employment Opportunity/Sexual Harassment as was directed
by the Board of Supervisors on October 22, 1991 .
Response: Since October 22, 1991, a total of 2001 County
employees have attended Sexual Harassment Training and
295 have attended Affirmative Action/Equal Employment
Opportunity Training.
10 . Publish and disseminate the function of the Affirmative
Action Officer and guidelines dealing specifically with
the procedures for filing and pursuing claims of racial
discrimination in the workplace.
Response: Complete distribution of the material outlined
in response to item #3 above should adequately respond to
this issue.
11. Increase the visibility of the Affirmative Action Officer
to line staff countywide through better utilization of
Departmental Affirmative Action Coordinators .
Response: Recommend that the Affirmative Action Officer
continue to initiate contacts with some departments where
she believes that such initiatives are appropriate,
helpful, or necessary.
Recommend that Department Heads be encouraged to continue
to invite the Affirmative Action Officer to staff
meetings so staff can become better acquainted with the
Affirmative Action Officer and her responsibilities .
Recommend that the Black Employees ' Association or
individual employees feel free to contact the Affirmative
Action Officer whenever they believe that the Affirmative
Action Officer should pay more attention to a specific
department.
-4-
I .O.-8
Recommend that the Affirmative Action Officer use methods
to contact employees which do not necessarily have to
include her physical presence at a staff meeting in a
department. These might include newsletters or other
methods of making contact with employees .
12 . Clearly delineate the responsibility of the Affirmative
Action Officer in handling employee complaints versus
representing the County.
Response: Recommend that the County Administrator revise
Administrative Bulletin 27 . 1 to define more clearly the
neutral, third-party role of the Affirmative Action
Officer in addressing discrimination complaints .
13 . Departmental Affirmative Action Coordinators meet with
Affirmative Action Officer quarterly rather than semi-
annually to discuss subject matter issues, concerns and
progress .
Response: See response to issue #7 above.
d
14 . County adopt a uniform Affirmative Action Committee
structure in appropriate size departments that include
but is not limited to describing the following:
- Purpose of Committee
- Committee 's Responsibilities
- Affirmative Action Coordinator' s responsibilities
- Composition of Committee
- Designation of leadership responsibilities
- Regularity of Committee meetings
- Committee reporting requirements .
Response: Recommend that the Equal Employment
Opportunity Advisory Council (EEOAC) be asked to review
the current structure and composition of existing
departmental Affirmative Action Committees as well as the
recommended structure suggested by the Black Employees '
Association and provide their comments and
recommendations to the Internal Operations Committee as
soon as they are prepared to do so.
15 . Adopt an Exit Interview Questionnaire Policy and
incorporate it into the responsibilities of the
Affirmative Action Committee and/or Coordinator.
Response: Recommend that the Personnel Director review
the proposed questionnaire, with input as appropriate
from the Management Council and Department Heads , and
provide his comments and recommendations to the Internal
Operations Committee.
16 . More training in understanding cultural diversity in the
workplace.
Response: The Black Employees ' Association will clarify
in more detail exactly what their intent was in regard to
this recommendation before staff are asked to respond to
it. In addition, the Affirmative Action Officer will
present to your Committee examples of the types of
training which are now available in this general subject
area.
17 . Establish criteria for selection and appointment of
Affirmative Action Coordinators in each department by
Department Heads.
Response: See response to issue #8 above.
-5-
I .O.-8
18 . Department Heads survey staff periodically to determine
effectiveness of their Affirmative Action Coordinators
and replace if majority of survey respondents feel
negatively.
Response: Recommend that this issue be referred to the
EEOAC to evaluate in regard to their existing work on the
manner in which Affirmative Action Coordinators are
selected.
19 . Departments conduct new employee departmental
orientations that include the review of the County' s
Affirmative Action Program Plan, department' s Affirmative
Action Implementation Plan and operating policies
including Administrative Bulletins .
Response: Recommend that this issue be referred to the
Affirmative Action Coordinators to discuss and return
their comments and recommendations to the Internal
Operations Committee following their next meeting.
20 . Consider establishing a special panel to review
complaints of discrimination.
Response: See response to issue #6 above.
C. Authorize the Internal Operations Committee to continue to
provide oversight of this subject and review progress on each
of these issues within the next three months .
BACKGROUND:
On October 26, 1992, the Internal Operations Committee met with
members of the Black Employees ' Association. On November 3, 1992,
the Board of Supervisors approved an Internal Operations Committee
report on this meeting. In addition, Mr. Lloyd Madden addressed
the Board of Supervisors and identified several points which he did
not believe had been fully or adequately addressed in the Internal
Operations Committee report. The Board determined that each of
these additional points would also be responded to when the Board' s
formal response was prepared. On December 14, 1992, the Internal
Operations Committee received a response to a portion of these
points which had been responded to by the Affirmative Action
Officer. The details of the remaining items were referred to the
1993 Internal Operations -Committee by the Board of Supervisors on
January 5, 1993 .
On February 22, 1993, our Committee met with Harry Cisterman,
Director of Personnel; Eileen Bitten, Assistant Director of
Personnel; Lloyd Madden, representing the Black Employees '
Association; John Gregory, newly elected President of the Black
Employees ' Association; and Emma Kuevor, Affirmative Action
Officer.
Mr. Madden reported that at a meeting of the Black Employees
Association on Saturday, February 20, 1993, it had been noted that
several of the referrals being recommended by the County
Administrator' s Office could have been made several months earlier
and that the Black Employees ' Association was frustrated at the
delay in addressing some of these issues . Each of the
recommendations included in the Board' s November 3, 1992 Order and
each of the responses to Mr. Madden' s memo dated November 3, 1992
were reviewed by our Committee.
While it is unfortunate that staff was unable to get to some of
these issues earlier, we appreciate the fact that all of the items
have now been addressed. However, we are also frustrated because
some departments do not appear to be placing the same high priority j
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I.O.-8
on Affirmative Action issues as does this Committee and the Board
of Supervisors . As a result, some of our recommendation ask that
the County Administrator point out to Department Heads the
importance which the Board of Supervisors places on full and
sincere compliance with Affirmative Action rules and goals.
Our Committee will plan to consider progress on these issues in the
near future and will report to the Board on the extent of progress
and further recommendations at that time.
cc: County Administrator
Director of Personnel
County Counsel
Affirmative Action Officer
Black Employees ' Association
All County Department Heads (Via CAO)
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OFFICE OF THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
C O N T R A C O S T A C O U N T Y
Administration Building
651 Pine Street, 11th Floor
Martinez, California 94553
DATE: February 19, 1993
TO: Supervisor Sunne Wright McPeak
Supervisor Jeff Smith
INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE
FROM: Claude L. Van Martel sistant County Administrator
SUBJECT: RESPONSE TO ISSUES R ISED BY THE
BLACK EMPLOYEES ' ASSOCIATION
On your Committee' s agenda for February 22, 1993 at 10 : 00 A.M. is
a review of certain recommendations made to the 1992 Internal
Operations Committee by the Black Employees ' Association.
Following is staff ' s response to the Board's directions in this
regard:
On' October 26, 1992, the Internal Operations Committee met with
representatives from the Black Employees ' Association. As a result
of that meeting, the Board of Supervisors made a number of orders
on November 3, 1992 . On December 14, 1992, the Internal Operations
Committee received responses to some of these issues from the
County Affirmative Action Officer. On January 5, 1993, the issue
of responding to all of the issues raised by the Black Employees '
Association was referred to the 1993 Internal Operations Committee.
Following are staff ' s proposed responses for your Committee to
recommend for Board approval . These responses have been formulated
following a meeting with the County' s Affirmative Action Officer
and the President of the Black Employees ' Association. It is our
understanding that these responses have substantial support and
concurrence from both the County' s Affirmative Action Officer and
the President of the Black Employees ' Association.
Attached are documents regarding each of these issues .
Following are the issues raised by the Black Employees ' Association
followed by staff ' s proposed response for your Committee' s
consideration:
1 . Publish and disseminate the function of the Affirmative Action
Officer and guidelines dealing specifically with the
procedures for filing and pursuing claims of racial
discrimination in the workplace.
-2-
This
2-This issue was adequately responded to by Emma Kuevor' s
December 3, 1992 memo to the Internal Operations Committee
(Attached - see item #1) .
2 . Increase the visibility of the Affirmative Action Officer to
line staff countywide through better utilization of
Departmental Affirmative Action Coordinators.
Recommend that the Affirmative Action Officer continue to
initiate contacts with some departments where she believes
that such initiatives are appropriate, helpful, or necessary.
• Recommend that Department Heads be encouraged to continue to
invite the Affirmative Action Officer to staff meetings so
staff can become better acquainted with the Affirmative Action
Officer and her responsibilities .
Recommend that the Black Employees ' Association or individual
employees feel free to contact the Affirmative Action Officer
whenever they believe that the Affirmative Action Officer
should pay more attention to a specific department.
Recommend that the Affirmative Action Officer use methods to
contact employees which do not necessarily have to include her
physical presence at a staff meeting in a department. These
might include newsletters or other methods of making contact
with employees .
3 . Clearly delineate the responsibility of the Affirmative Action
Officer in handling employee complaints versus representing
the County.
Recommend that the County Administrator revise Administrative
Bulletin 27 . 1 to define more clearly the neutral, third-party
role of the Affirmative Action Officer in addressing
discrimination complaints .
4 . Departmental Affirmative Action Coordinators meet with
Affirmative Action Officer quarterly rather than semi-annually
to discuss subject matter issues, concerns and progress.
This issue was adequately responded to by Emma Kuevor' s
December 3, 1992 memo to the Internal Operations Committee
(See item #4 ) .
5 . County adopt a uniform Affirmative Action Committee structure
in appropriate size departments that include but is not
limited to describing the following:
- Purpose of Committee
- Committee's Responsibilities
- Affirmative Action Coordinator's responsibilities
- Composition of Committee
- Designation of leadership responsibilities
-3-
- Regularity of Committee meetings
- Committee reporting requirements .
Recommend that the Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory
Council (EEOAC) be asked to review the current structure and
composition of existing departmental Affirmative Action
Committees as well as the recommended structure suggested by
the Black Employees ' Association and provide their comments
and recommendations to the Internal Operations Committee as
soon as they are prepared to do so.
6 .' Adopt an Exit Interview Questionnaire Policy and incorporate
it into the responsibilities of the Affirmative Action
Committee and/or Coordinator.
Recommend that the Personnel Director review the proposed
questionnaire, with input as appropriate from the Management
Council and Department Heads, and provide his comments and
recommendations to the Internal Operations Committee.
Recommend that the EEOAC review existing departmental exit
interview and/or questionnaire practices and provide their
comments and recommendations to the Internal Operations
Committee as soon as they are prepared to do so.
7 . More training in understanding cultural diversity in the
workplace.
The Black Employees ' Association will clarify in more detail
exactly what their intent was in regard to this recommendation
before staff are asked to respond to it. In addition, the
Affirmative Action Officer will present to your Committee
examples of the types of training which are now available in
this general subject area.
In addition to these formal recommendations, the following requests
were made from the floor as a result of the discussion:
8. Establish criteria for selection and appointment of
Affirmative Action Coordinators in each department by
Department Heads .
This issue was adequately responded to by Emma Kuevor' s
December 3, 1992 memo to the Internal Operations Committee
(See item #5) .
9 . Department Heads survey staff periodically to determine
effectiveness of their Affirmative Action Coordinators and
replace if majority of survey respondents feel negatively.
-4-
Recommend that this issue be referred to the EEOAC to evaluate
in regard to their existing work on the manner in which
Affirmative Action Coordinators are selected.
10. Departments conduct new employee departmental orientations
that include the review of the County's Affirmative Action
Program Plan, department's Affirmative Action Implementation
Plan and operating policies including Administrative
Bulletins .
Recommend that this issue be referred to the Affirmative
Action Coordinators to discuss and return their comments and
recommendations to the Internal Operations Committee following
their next meeting.
11 . Consider establishing a special panel to review complaints of
discrimination.
This issue was adequately responded to by Emma Kuevor' s
December 3, 1992 memo to the Internal Operations Committee
(See item #3) .
In addition to these recommendations, recommend that the Personnel
Director be directed to respond to the Internal Operations
Committee on the following recommendations approved by the Board of
Supervisors on November 3, 1992 :
* Reaffirm the Board' s decision of July 20, 1992 to increase the
likelihood of retaining existing employees and thereby
retaining the gains in the hiring of women and minorities
which have been achieved in the past few years by trying to
rehire laid off employees into available vacancies for which
the employee has the training and experience. Request the
Director of Personnel to determine what changes in the
seniority system or otherwise would be necessary in order to
make it possible to provide laid off employees with the right
to be hired for any job for which the employee is qualified by
training and experience, not just for a position in the
classification from which the employee was laid off, and
report to our Committee on December 14, 1992 .
* Reaffirm the intent of the Board of Supervisors to hire,
through normal merit system hiring procedures, qualified
recipients of minority-based scholarships such as the Kennedy-
King Scholarships, who complete college.
* Request the Director of Personnel to provide the Internal
Operations Committee with a status report December 14, 1992 on
how many new and current employees have been provided the
training on Affirmative Action/Equal Employment
Opportunity/Sexual Harassment as was directed by the Board of
Supervisors on October 22, 1991 .
-5-
CLVM:amb
van2-63-93
Attachment
cc: Emma Kuevor, Affirmative Action Officer
Lloyd Madden, President, Black Employees ' Association
Harry Cisterman, Director of Personnel
Eileen Bitten, Assistant Director of Personnel
• 45r
Contra -SE ` Personnel Department
..
Costa Administration Bldg.
x �� ¢ 651 Pine Street
Martinez, California 94553-1292
Count - N.
Y . ::.
AD
DATE: February 19, 1993v
TO: Internal Operations Committee ( '
p
FROM: Harry D. Cisterman, Director of Personn
SUBJECT: Follow-up to Presentation by Black Employees Association
Your Committee directed that the Personnel Department report back to you on the
following three issues:
1. The Personnel Department has a system in place to ensure that laid-off
employees are notified when positions for which they may qualify are to be
filled.
The Personnel Management Regulations require all applicants meet the minimum
qualifications. However, I can relax the strict interpretation of this regulation
by revising"minimum qualifications" to "desirable qualifications" in selected job
classes. This change would require meet and confer deliberations with the
employee organization that represents the target job class. Such revisions
could be established with a sunset provision that would be predetermined and
agreed to in advance. This change would greatly increase employment
opportunities for laid-off workers.
We are reviewing all regulations controlling appointments to determine what
changes could be implemented to expand the opportunities for laid-off workers
to be rehired in job classes other than that from which they were laid off.
Revisions of the seniority regulations raise issues that are extremely complex.
It is important to point out that any change in seniority rules will adversely
impact someone. Further, I have been advised by counsel that seniority
regulations adopted before the passage of the Civil Rights Act have some
protection from the Courts. However, this protection is lost if changes are
made in the regulations.
We can also anticipate that employee groups will only support revisions that
would count total County service for purposes of determining seniority for lay
offs. I will pursue this matter with the County Counsel.
I will soon implement a Tactical Employment Team that will concentrate their
efforts on the special employment problems of our protected group employees.
The mission for this unit is currently being developed and the implementation
document will be forwarded to you for your review, comment and approval.
Internal Operations Committee Page 2 February 19, 1993
2. Kennedy-King Scholarship. The attached memorandum outlines the approach
we recommend in carrying out the Board of Supervisors' directive. We have
recommended that our initial efforts be aimed at a summer internship program
in recognition of the current fiscal crisis and proposed cut backs.
3. Training., Since October 22, 1991, a total of 2001 County employees have
attended Sexual Harassment Training and 295 have attended Affirmative
Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Training.
HDC/EKB:do
Attachment
Contra5E ` Personnel Department
• po
costa �► Administration Bldg.
c. — ` 651 Pine Street
County _..' :' �zo
�. Martinez, California 94553-1292
r�T :Lr
Tq COUNT
DATE: January 21, 1993
TO: Harry D. Cisterman, Director of Personnel
FROM: Eileen K. Bitten, Assistant Director of Personne
SUBJECT: Kennedy-King Scholarship
The following proposal for implementation of the Board's directive for the
employment of Kennedy-King scholars is presented for your review.
At our meeting with Gregory McCoy, Chair of the Foundation Board, we decided it
would be most effective to work on a two-faceted approach given the County's
financial status and dim hiring picture.
1. Develop opportunities for Summer internships beginning Summer of
1993.
2. Provide job search counselling and information to present and past
recipients of the Kennedy-King scholarships.
To accomplish Item 1, it was decided:
1. A liaison to work with the County will be appointed by the Kennedy-
King Scholarship Board - February 8, 1993
2. A presentation on the program will be made at the Department Head
Meeting (present Board Order, program, materials) - February 25,
1993
3. Review resumes of students entering second year of the Program to
determine possible areas of interest - March
4. Develop internships by visiting those departments most likely to have
opportunities - March/A5ril
5. Receive background information of new scholarship awardees - End
of April
6. Meet with awardees and explain the internship and identify possible
participants - Early May
7. Finalize internship slots; make job matches - May
To implement Item #2, we will meet with the Scholarship Board's representative to:
1. Identify a method of distributing information about job availabilities
to program participants.
Harry D. Cisterman
Page 2
January 21, 1993
2. Identify a forum for meeting with participants concerning the
employment process in local government including:
- structure and function of local government;
- job search techniques;
- resume preparation;
- oral interview presentation skills;
- written test-taking skills.
I will keep you informed as we proceed.
EKB:do
cc: Gregory McCoy
Lloyd Madden
Office of the County Administrator
Contra Costa County
Affirmative Action Office
651 Pine Street, Martinez, CA 94553
(510) 646-4106
DATE : December 3, 1992
TO: Internal Operations Committee
FROM: Emma Kuevor
Affirmative Action Officer
SUBJECT: Responses to the Presentation by the Black Employees
Association as directed by the Board of Supervisors
On October 26 , 1992 , the Black Employees ' Association of Contra
Costa County presented to the Internal Operations Committee a
report from their fact finding committee. The committee developed
a questionnaire that was distributed to African American employees
in County departments . Based on the results of the questionnaire,
several recommendations were presented.
The Internal Operations Committee has requested the following
responses :
1 . Request the Affirmative Action Officer to prepare and arrange
to have distributed with paychecks within the next two months
a flyer providing her name, address and telephone number and
a brief description of what action an employee can take if the
employee believes he or she has been discriminated against.
Response: A flyer has been prepared discussing the County
and Departments ' Affirmative Action Plans . The Affirmative
Action .Coordinators ' name and telephone number along with my
name, location, and telephone number is also listed. The
Administrative Bulletin on the County' s Discrimination
Complaint Procedure has been included with the flyer and will
be distributed with the December 10th or the January 10th
paychecks .
2 . Request the Affirmative Action Officer to write an article on
Affirmative Action and the County' s Affirmative Action Program
and ask that it be published in all departmental newsletters
as a means of informing employees of the County' s Affirmative
Action Program.
Response: The article will be prepared and distributed to the
Department Affirmative Action Coordinators at their February
1993 quarterly meeting. The Coordinators will be asked to
place the article in their upcoming newsletters in order to
inform their employees of the County' s Affirmative Action
Program.
3 . Request the Affirmative Action Officer to consider the
viability of panels of employees willing to volunteer their
time to serve on such panels, for the purpose of mediating
discrimination complaints and report her conclusions and
recommendations to our Committee as a part of her semi-annual
report on December 14 , 1992 .
Response: My response to this request will also be a part of
the semi-annual report on Affirmative Action submitted to the
Internal Operations Committee on December 14 , 1992 . I must
recommend against panels of volunteer employees to mediate
discrimination complaints .
Mediation is a sensitive process which can operate only in an
atmosphere of competence, confidence and confidentiality. The
parties to a mediation must voluntarily agree to participate,
and they control the extent of their participation. The
parties need to be assured as to the knowledge, judgment,
discretion, and impartiality of the mediators . The actual
knowledge, judgment, discretion and impartiality of each
member of a panel of volunteer County employees could not be
assured to the satisfaction of two sides which are disputing
between themselves . The failure of a volunteer mediator to
succeed in the mediation, or conduct by a volunteer mediator,
could increase the hostility and misunderstanding of the
parties and the County' s exposure to claims . I am particularly
concerned about maintaining the confidentiality of mediation
efforts .
When handling a sexual harassment complaint, for example, care
must be given to the complainant and the person named in the
complaint . Rumors will greatly antagonize the dispute and
destroy the County' s ability to achieve a resolution.
Volunteer panels lessen the possibility of maintaining the
confidentiality of an investigation.
Employees currently have a choice between their
Department Affirmative Action Coordinator, the County' s
Affirmative Action Officer, or the Merit Board. At the
department level the complainant may ask their friends to
assist them, their union or attorney. At the Merit Board
level the complainant may have the same representation. Our
current Discrimination Complaint Procedure has worked
effectively for employees .
2
At the Affirmative Action Officer level, mediation is held
between the complainant and the department. Confidentiality
is maintained during the entire investigation. This level of
confidentiality protects the complainant and department from
biasing the Merit Board if the complainant appealed to that
level . The Merit Board does not have access to my mediation
efforts or files which insures that the Merit Board will not
be biased when investigating the complaint. Existing
procedures protect the employees and the departments .
4 . Request the Affirmative Action Officer to convene meetings of
Departmental Affirmative Action Coordinators on at least a
quarterly basis during calendar years 1993-1994 for the
purpose of insuring adequate communication with and between
Departmental Affirmative Action Coordinators .
Response: Departmental Affirmative Action Coordinators have
been advised that we will be having quarterly meetings
beginning in 1993 . They were also asked to submit formats for
the meetings ; for example, guest speakers, training needs ,
etc. The first quarterly meeting will be held in February
1993 .
5 . Authorize the Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Council to
make recommendations regarding the manner in which
departmental Affirmative Action Coordinators are appointed.
Response: The Advisory Council on Equal Employment
Opportunity has been advised of the Internal Operations
Committees request and the request has been placed on their
December 4 , 1992 agenda. The Council has been asked to review
the current procedure on how coordinators ' are selected, and
prepare recommendations .
This concludes my summary of the responses requested by the
Internal Operations Committee at its November 3, 1992 meeting.
A:\KING
t
3
�r
]BLACK EMPLOYEES ' AS SOC=ATI ON
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
Date: November 3, 1992
Th: Supervisor Sunne W. McPeak, Chair
Members of Contra Costa County Bowl of Supervisors
From: Black Employees Association, Contra Costa County
Subject: Summary of Reooamnendations Submitted and Formlated at
the October 26, 1992 Internal Operations Committee Meeting
On Monday, October 26 the Black Employees Association presented infor-
mation to the I.O.C. covering four areas:
A. Analysis of nonscientific survey
- Total number of Black employees as of June 30, 1992 - 945;
- Number of questionnaires distributed - Approximately 600;
- Total amber of questionnaires collected as of October 16,
1992 - 167 (28%) .
B. Affirmative Action Program Related Findings
C. Redress Recommmendations (internal and external)
D. Layoff Impact on Black Employees
In addition to these four areas, we had personal testimony from one
current and three former County employees.
rily" follcyrinq were submitted as part of individual
presentations:
1. Publish and disseminate the function of the Affirmative Action
Officer and guidelines dealing specifically with the procedures for
filing and pursing claims of racial discrimination in the
workplace.
- Supervisor McPeak suggested that this information be
distributed with employees' November 10th paycheck.
2. Increase the visibility of the Affirmative Action Officer to line
staff countywide through better utilization of Dental
Affirmative Action Coordinators.
3. Clearly delineate the responsibility of the Affirmative Action
Officer vs. a via the complaints of employees versus representing
the County.
-2-
4. Departmental Affirmative Action Coordinators meet with Affirmative
Action officer -quarterly rather than semi-annually to discuss
subject matter issues, concenls and progress.
5. County adopt a uniform Affirmative Action Committee structure in
appropriate size departments that include but is not limited to
describing the following:
- Purpose of Committee;
- Committee's Responsibilities;
- Affirmative Action Coordinator's responsibilities;
- Composition of Committee;
- Designation of leadership responsibilities;
- Regularity of committee meetings;
- Committee reporting requirements
6. Adopt an Exit Interview Questionnaire Policy and incorporate it
into the responsibilities of the Affirmative Action Committee and/
or Coordinator.
In your Board report you should have copies of the suggested format
for the Committee and the exit interview questionnaire.
7. More training in understanding cultural diversity in the workplace.
Rees ations F the floor as a result of discussion included:
* Establish criteria for selection and appointment of Affirmative
Action Coordinators in each department by Department Heads.
* Department Heads survey staff periodically to determine
effectiveness of their Affirmative Action Coordinators and replace
if majority of survey respondents feel negatively.
* Departments conduct new employee departmental orientations that
include the review of the County's Affirmative Action Program Plan,
department's Affirmative Action Implementation Plan and operating
policies including Administrative Bulletins.
* Consider establishing a special panel to review complaints of
discrimination.
The Board of Supervisors and department heads are to be corm ended for
giving up their cost of living increases to fully reinstate the County's
Career Development Employment Program and the overall Outreach and
Recruitment Program in the Personnel Department. The Board should also
be comwxded for the establishment of the Equal Employment Opportunity
Advisory Council. The reality is, we have a long way to go and with
next year's budget forecast being parallel to this year's, we must all
work in harmony to minimize next year's impact on our progress in
Affirmative Action appointments, retention and promotions.
We humbly submit these recommendations for consideration.
TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS I•�•-1 _.�: Contra
FRGM: INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE Costa
County
October 26 , 1992
PATE:
SUBJECT: PRESENTATION BY THE BLACK EMPLOYEES' ASSOCIATION
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATIONS :
1 . Authorize the Internal Operations Committee to prepare for the
Board of Supervisors ' approval, a response, in writing, to the
concerns raised by the Black Employees ' Association in their
initial presentation to the Board of Supervisors on May 18,
1992, and in their presentation to our Committee on October
26 , 1992 .
2 . Reaffirm the Board's decision of July 20, 1992 to increase the
likelihood of retaining existing employees and thereby
retaining the gains in the hiring of women and minorities
which have been achieved in the past few years by trying to
rehire laid off employees into available vacancies for which
the employee has the training and experience. Request the
Director of Personnel to determine what changes in the
seniority system or otherwise would be necessary in order to
make it possible to provide laid off employees with the right
to be hired for any, job for which the employee is qualified by
training and experience, not just for a position in the
classification from which the employee was laid off, and
report to our Committee on December 14 , 1992 .
3. Reaffirm the intent of the Board of Supervisors to hire,
through normal merit system hiring procedures, qualified
recipients of minority-based scholarships such as the Kennedy-
King Scholarships, who complete college.
4 . Authorize the Chair of the Board of Supervisors to again write
to the Governor of California urging the appointment of more
women and minority judges to future vacancies in the Municipal
Court and Superior Court in Contra Costa County.
CONT"SUED ON ATTACHMENT: __Y_YES SIGNATURE:
=•ECOMMENDATION OF COUNT OR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
_•_ t,PPROVE T
�Y�� 1��,: .�.
SIGNATURE s : CHRODER SUNNE WRIGHT Mc4
ACT'CN OF BOARD ON oye er 3, 1992 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X_ OTHER
Lloyd Madden representing the Black Employees Association, appeared and reviewed the
items of concern and the Association's requests. The 'Board indicated that the items
he had outlined were covered in the above recommendations, and the November 3, 1992
memorandum submitted by Mr. Madden will be taken into account in the response that will
be formalized.
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
_ I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
UNANIMOUS(ABSENT '� �- ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
ATTESTED �'M 44�) /'7
Contact: PHIL BATCHELOR.CLERK OF THE BOARD OF
cc. See Page 4 .
SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
BY DEPUTY
5. Acknowledge that the Board of Supervisors has been able to
maintain the Career Development Employment Program and
Affirmative Action Program in the Personnel Department by
dedicating the 3% salary deferral from the Board of
Supervisors and Department Heads to these vital programs .
6 . Request the Affirmative Action Officer to prepare and arrange
to have distributed with paychecks within the next two months
a flyer providing her name, address and telephone number and
a brief description of what action an employee can take if the
employee believes he or she has been discriminated against.
7 . Request the Affirmative Action Officer to write an article on
Affirmative Action and the County's Affirmative Action Program
and ask that it be published in all departmental newsletters
as a means of informing employees of the County's Affirmative
Action Program.
8 . Request all Department Heads to communicate in an appropriate
manner with all employees in the Department to insure that the
employees know who the Affirmative Action Coordinator is and
what action should be taken by an employee who believes that
he or she has been the victim of discrimination.
9 . Request the Affirmative Action Officer to consider the
viability of panels of employees willing to volunteer their
time to serve on such panels, for the purpose of mediating
discrimination complaints and report her conclusions and
recommendations to our Committee as a part of her semi-annual
report on December 14, 1992 .
10. Request the Affirmative Action Officer to convene meetings of
departmental Affirmative Action Coordinators on at least a
quarterly basis during calendar years 1993 and 1994 for the
purpose of insuring adequate communication with and between
departmental Affirmative Action Coordinators .
11. Authorize the Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Council to
make recommendations regarding the manner in which
departmental Affirmative Action Coordinators are appointed.
12. Request the Director of Personnel to provide the Internal
Operations Committee with a status report December 14, 1992 on
how many new and current employees have been provided the
training on Affirmative Action/Equal Employment
Opportunity/Sexual Harassment as was directed by the Board of
Supervisors on October 22, 1991.
BACKGROUND:
On May 18, 1992, the Black Employees ' Association of Contra Costa
County presented a letter to the Board of Supervisors decrying the
jury verdict in the Rodney King case. The Board of Supervisors
referred the letter from the Black Employees ' Association to the
Internal Operations Committee.
On October 26, 1992, the Internal Operations Committee met with a
number of employees and heard several presentations from employees
on behalf of the Black Employees ' Association.
Lloyd Madden, President of the Black Employees' Association of
Contra Costa County, summarized the position of the Association and
outlined the presentations which would . be made on behalf of the
Association.
The results of a portion of a survey sent to black employees were
presented to our Committee by Claire Chachere (Building Inspection
Department) and are attached to this report.
Comments regarding the activities of the Affirmative Action Officer
were presented to our Committee by Tony Thompson (Public Defender' s
Department) . A copy of these comments is attached.
2
Comments regarding the need for penalties for failure to comply
with the County Affirmative Action Plan, including recommendations,
were presented by Wayne James (Public Defender's Department) . A
copy of these comments is attached.
John Gregory (County Administrator's Office) presented statistics
on the impact which recent layoffs have had on women and
minorities. These statistics are attached to this report, although
the source and accuracy of the data has not been documented or
verified.
Daneen Eaglin (formerly of the General Services Department) read a
statement, a copy of which is attached.
Clovetta Mack (formerly of the Community Services Department) read
a statement, a copy of which is attached.
Herman Henry (formerly with the District Attorney's Office) made an
oral statement to our Committee.
Kim Jenkins (General Services Department) made an oral statement to
our Committee.
o
Lloyd Madden provided closing comments on behalf of the
Association. A copy of Mr. Madden's introductory and closing
comments is attached to this report.
Supervisor Schroder indicated that the Committee intends to respond
to the concerns which have been expressed by the Black Employees '
Association.
Supervisor McPeak outlined what the Board of Supervisors has
already done, beginning in 1987, to address affirmative action
objectives .
Supervisor McPeak reminded those present that the Board of
Supervisors adopted a new Affirmative Action Plan on July 9, 1991 .
She also noted that the Board of Supervisors has as one of its
goals to achieve parity of the County' s workforce with the racial
and ethnic distribution of the general population of working age in
the County.
Supervisor McPeak also noted that there are sanctions because the
Board of Supervisors, on July 17, 1990, directed the County
Administrator, in his evaluation of each Department Head, to
include an evaluation of the extent to which the Department Head
has made "all reasonable efforts to achieve appropriate affirmative
action goals within his or her department. " Supervisor McPeak also
noted that the County Administrator has been advised not to provide
a performance bonus to any Department Head who has not complied
with this direction.
Supervisor McPeak also noted that the County is working on a
complete stratification of employees by income band and department.
Supervisor McPeak described the pool of laid off clerical employees
from which new hires are to be drawn and indicated that she
understands this pool is working. She also noted, however, that
the other pool which had been created by the Board of Supervisors
on July 20, 1992 does not appear to be working. This pool was to
consist of all non-clerical employees who were laid off. As jobs
for which a laid off employee has the skills and experience, he or
she should be given the opportunity to be hired for this job. It
appears that these employees have not been notified of this
opportunity. Currently, a laid off employee only has a right to a
job in the same classification from which the employee was laid
off.
Supervisor McPeak also noted that the Board of Supervisors had
indicated its intent that those minority students who received a
scholarship like the Kennedy-King Scholarship and completed
college, would be encouraged to apply through normal merit system
procedures for jobs with the County for which they possess the
3
required training and experience, as employment opportunities
became available.. She indicated that it might be wise for the
Board to reaffirm this intent.
Supervisor McPeak also recognized the concerns which had been
expressed about the lack of minority judges on the Municipal and
Superior Court in this County and suggested that the Committee
recommend that another letter be sent to the Governor urging him to
consider qualified women and minority candidates as vacancies for
judges in the County became available.
In response to concerns which had been expressed by the Black
Employees ' Association, Supervisor McPeak suggested that a flyer be
distributed to all employees with their paychecks identifying the
County's Affirmative Action Officer and indicating what actions
employees can take if they believe they have been the object of
discrimination. She also asked that Departments make sure that
their employees are aware of who the Department's Affirmative
Action Coordinators are. She also asked that the Affirmative
Action Officer write an article that could be published in
departmental newsletters explaining the County's Affirmative Action
Program and its goals .
Supervisor McPeak also asked that the Affirmative Action Officer
meet quarterly (rather than semi-annually) with departmental
Affirmative Action Coordinators for the next two years . She also .
suggested that the Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Council be
authorized to make recommendations regarding the manner in which
departmental Affirmative Action Coordinators are appointed. She
also suggested the need for the Board of Supervisors to reemphasize
the importance of training in Affirmative Action and Equal
Employment Opportunity, which had previously been ordered by the
Board of Supervisors .
Finally, Supervisor McPeak suggested that the Internal Operations
Committee ask the Board of Supervisors for authority to prepare a
response for the Board's approval to the concerns expressed by the
Black Employees ' Association.
The above recommendations represent our response to the
presentations made by the Black Employees ' Association. If the
Board authorizes our Committee to prepare a response for the
Board' s approval to the concerns expressed by the Black Employees '
Association, we will undertake that task as well.
cc: County Administrator
Director of Personnel
County Counsel
Affirmative Action Officer
All County Department Heads (Via CAO)
Black Employees ' Association (Via CAA)
4
elor
The Board of Supervisors Contra CeFrk(offtthehBoard
and
County Administration BuildingCosta County Administrator
651 Pine St., Room 106 (510)646-2371
Martinez, California 94553 County
Tom Powers,1st District
Jeff Smith,2nd District L.
SF.
Gayle Bishop,3rd District
Sunne Wright McPeak 4th District
Tom Torlakson,5th District
a.
March 2, 1993
John Gregory, President
Black Employees ' Association
c/o Office of the County Administrator
County Administration Building - 11th Floor
651 Pine Street
Martinez, A 94553
Dear Mr. egory:
The Board of Supervisors has directed that I send you a letter
outlining the response which the Board of Supervisors has approved
to each of the issues which has been raised by the Black
Employees ' Association. Following are the responses as they were
recommended to the Board of Supervisors by the Internal Operations
Committee and approved by the Board on March 2, 1993 :
1 . Reaffirm the Board's decision of July 20, 1992 to
increase the likelihood of retaining existing employees
and thereby retaining the gains in the hiring of women
and minorities which have been achieved in the past few
years by trying to rehire laid off employees into
available vacancies for which the employee has the
training and experience. Request the Director of
Personnel to determine what changes in the seniority
system or otherwise would be necessary in order to make
it possible to provide laid off employees with the right
to be hired for any job for which the employee is
qualified by training and experience, not just for a
position in the classification from which the employee
was laid off, and report to our Committee on December 14,
1992 .
Response: The Personnel Department has a system in place
to ensure that laid-off employees are notified when
positions for which they may qualify are to be filled.
The Personnel Management Regulations require all
applicants meet the minimum qualifications . However, the
Personnel Director can relax the strict interpretation of
this regulation by revising "minimum qualifications" to
"desirable qualifications" in selected job classes . This
-2-
change would require meet and confer deliberations with
the employee organization that represents the target job
class . Such revisions could be established with a sunset
provision that would be predetermined and agreed to in
advance. This change would greatly increase employment
opportunities for laid-off workers .
The Personnel Department is reviewing all regulations
controlling appointments to determine what changes could
be implemented to expand the opportunities for laid-off
workers .to be rehired in job classes other than that from
which they were laid off.
Revisions of the seniority regulations raise issues that
are extremely complex. It is important to point out that
any change in seniority rules will adversely impact
someone. Further, the Personnel Director has been
advised by the County Counsel 's Office that seniority
regulations adopted before the passage of the Civil
Rights Act have some protection from the Courts .
However, this protection is lost if changes are made in
these regulations .
We can also anticipate that employee groups will only
support revisions that would count total County service
for purposes of determining seniority for lay offs . The
Personnel Director has agreed to pursue this matter
further with the County Counsel 's Office.
The Personnel Director will soon implement a Tactical
Employment Team that will concentrate its efforts on the
special employment problems of our protected employee
groups . The mission for this unit is currently being
developed and the implementation document will be
forwarded to the Internal Operations Committee and the
Board of Supervisors for their review, comment and
approval . In addition, we are requesting the Personnel
Director to make available to each Department Head a list
of all laid-off employees who have not yet obtained
employment and offer to make the employees ' background
and qualifications available to any department upon
request.
2 . Reaffirm the intent of the Board of Supervisors to hire,
through normal merit system hiring procedures, qualified
recipients of minority-based scholarships such as the
Kennedy-King Scholarships, who complete college.
Response: The attached memorandum outlines the approach
the Personnel Director recommends in carrying out the
Board of Supervisors ' directive. The Personnel Director
recommends that our initial efforts be aimed at a summer
-3-
internship program in recognition of the current fiscal
crisis and proposed cutbacks .
3 . Request the Affirmative Action Officer to prepare and
arrange to have distributed with paychecks within the
next two months a flyer providing her name, address and
telephone number and a brief description of what action
an employee can take if the employee believes he or she
has been discriminated against.
Response: A flyer was prepared discussing the County's
and Departments ' Affirmative Action Plans . The
Affirmative Action Coordinators ' name and telephone
number, along with the name, location, and telephone
number of the County's Affirmative Action Officer was
also listed. The Administrative Bulletin on the County's
Discrimination Complaint Procedure was included with the
flyer and was to have been distributed to all employees
with the December 10, 1992 pay checks . A number of
employees now report that this materials was not
distributed to them. We are, therefore, requesting that
the Affirmative Action Officer make this information
available to the Auditor-Controller's Office for
distribution with pay checks by no later than June 10,
1993 . In addition, a memo should be sent to all
Department Heads by the County Administrator in advance
of the time the material is to be distributed to alert
all Department Heads to the fact that the material will
be available and is to be distributed to each employee
without fail .
4 . Request the Affirmative Action Officer to write an
article on Affirmative Action and the County' s
Affirmative Action Program and ask that it be published
in all departmental newsletters as a means of informing
employees of the County's Affirmative Action Program.
Response: The article was prepared and distributed to
the Departmental Affirmative Action Coordinators at their
February, 1993 quarterly meeting. Coordinators will be
asked to place the article in their upcoming newsletters
in order to inform their employees of the County's
Affirmative Action Program. The County Administrator
should be asked to send a memo to each Department Head
indicating that this information has been made available
to the Department's Affirmative Action Coordinator and
that the Board of Supervisors would appreciate the
Department Head's cooperation in publishing the article
at the Department's earliest convenience.
5 . Request all Department Heads to communicate in an
appropriate manner with all employees in the Department
-4-
to insure that the employees know who the Affirmative
Action Coordinator is and what action should be taken by
an employee who believes that he or she has been the
victim of discrimination.
Response: See responses to issues #3 above and #11
below.
6 . Request the Affirmative Action Officer to consider the
viability of panels of employees willing to volunteer
their time to serve on such panels, for the purpose of
mediating discrimination complaints and report her
conclusions and recommendations to our Committee as a
part of her semi-annual report on December 14, 1992 .
Response: The Affirmative Action Officer has recommended
against the use of panels of volunteer employees to
mediate discrimination complaints . On January 5, 1993
the Board of Supervisors acknowledged this recommendation
and asked the Affirmative Action Officer in her next
report to the Internal Operations Committee to report on
the number of requests for mediation that have been
received in the most recently available period of time,
how they have been handled, and what the outcome of the
complaints has been.
7 . Request the Affirmative Action Officer to convene
meetings of departmental Affirmative Action Coordinators
on at least a quarterly basis during calendar years 1993
and 1994 for the purpose of insuring adequate
communication with and between departmental Affirmative
Action Coordinators .
Response: This recommendation has been implemented and
the first such quarterly meeting has been held.
8 . Authorize the Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory
Council to make recommendations regarding the manner in
which departmental Affirmative Action Coordinators are
appointed.
Response: The Affirmative Action Officer reports that
the Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Council has
been advised of the Board's request and has been placed
on the agenda for the December 4, 1992 Council meeting.
The Council has been asked to review the current
procedure on how coordinators are selected, and to
prepare recommendations . Those recommendations have not
yet been filed with our Committee.
9 . Request the Director of Personnel to provide the Internal
Operations Committee with a status report December 14,
-5-
1992 on how many new and current employees have been
provided the training on Affirmative Action/Equal
Employment Opportunity/Sexual Harassment as was directed
by the Board of Supervisors on October 22, 1991 .
Response: Since October 22, 1991, a total of 2001 County
employees have attended Sexual Harassment Training and
295 have attended Affirmative Action/Equal Employment
Opportunity Training.
10 . Publish and disseminate the function of the Affirmative
Action Officer and guidelines dealing specifically with
the procedures for filing and pursuing claims of racial
discrimination in the workplace.
Response: Complete distribution of the material outlined
in response to item #3 above should adequately respond to
this issue.
11 . Increase the visibility of the Affirmative Action Officer
to line staff countywide through better utilization of
Departmental Affirmative Action Coordinators .
Response: Recommend that the Affirmative Action Officer
continue to initiate contacts with some departments where
she believes that such initiatives are appropriate,
helpful, or necessary.
Recommend that Department Heads be encouraged to continue
to invite the Affirmative Action Officer to staff
meetings so staff can become better acquainted with the
Affirmative Action Officer and her responsibilities .
Recommend that the Black Employees ' Association or
individual employees feel free to contact the Affirmative
Action Officer whenever they believe that the Affirmative
Action Officer should pay more attention to a specific
department.
Recommend that the Affirmative Action Officer use methods
to contact employees which do not necessarily have to
include her physical presence at a staff meeting in a
department. These might include newsletters or other
methods of making contact with employees .
12 . Clearly delineate the responsibility of the Affirmative
Action Officer in handling employee complaints versus
representing the County.
Response: Recommend that the County Administrator revise
Administrative Bulletin 27. 1 to define more clearly the
neutral, third-party role of the Affirmative Action
Officer in addressing discrimination complaints .
-6-
13. Departmental Affirmative Action Coordinators meet with
Affirmative Action Officer quarterly rather than semi-
annually to discuss subject matter issues, concerns and
progress .
Response: See response to issue #7 above.
14 . County adopt a uniform Affirmative Action Committee
structure in appropriate size departments that include
but is not limited to describing the following:
- Purpose of Committee
- Committee' s Responsibilities
- Affirmative Action Coordinator's responsibilities
- Composition of Committee
- Designation of leadership responsibilities
- Regularity of Committee meetings
- Committee reporting requirements .
Response: Recommend that the Equal Employment
Opportunity Advisory Council (EEOAC) be asked to review
the current structure and composition of existing
departmental Affirmative Action Committees as well as the
recommended structure suggested by the Black Employees '
Association and provide their comments and
recommendations to the Internal Operations Committee as
soon as they are prepared to do so.
15. Adopt an Exit Interview Questionnaire Policy and
incorporate it into the responsibilities of the
Affirmative Action Committee and/or Coordinator.
Response: Recommend that the Personnel Director review
the proposed questionnaire, with input as appropriate
from the Management Council and Department Heads, and
provide his comments and recommendations to the Internal
Operations Committee.
16 . More training in understanding cultural diversity in the
workplace.
Response: The Black Employees ' Association will clarify
in more detail exactly what their intent was in regard to
this recommendation before staff are asked to respond to
it. In addition, the Affirmative Action Officer will
present to your Committee examples of the types of
training which are now available in this general subject
area.
17 . Establish criteria for selection and appointment of
Affirmative Action Coordinators in each department by
Department Heads.
-7-
Response: See response to issue #8 above.
18 . Department Heads survey staff periodically to determine
effectiveness of their Affirmative Action Coordinators
and replace if majority of survey respondents feel
negatively.
Response: Recommend that this issue be referred to the
EEOAC to evaluate in regard to their existing work on the
manner in which Affirmative Action Coordinators are
selected.
19 . Departments conduct new employee departmental
orientations that include the review of the County's
Affirmative Action Program Plan, department' s Affirmative
Action Implementation Plan and operating policies
including Administrative Bulletins .
Response: Recommend that this issue be referred to the
Affirmative Action Coordinators to discuss and return
their comments and recommendations to the Internal
Operations Committee following their next meeting.
20 . Consider establishing a special panel to review
complaints of discrimination.
Response: See response to issue #6 above.
C. Authorize the Internal Operations Committee to continue to
provide oversight of this subject and review progress on each
of these issues within the next three months .
The County Administrator's Office will advise you of the date and
time when the Internal Operations Committee will again review
progress on these issues .
Very truly yours,
1094
TOM TORLAKSON
CHAIRMAN
TT:amb
cc: Harry D. Cisterman, Director of Personnel
Emma Kuevor, Affirmative Action Officer
Lloyd Madden, Black Employees Association