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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-AAC-1992 CITY OF ITHACA AFFIRMATIVE ACTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING February 19, 1992 • Present: Linda Lerch, John Ware, Brenda Kuhn, James Miller, Thomas Deis, Barbara Caldwell, Thomas West, Valerie Saul (Personnel Administrator) , Lisa Patz (Personnel Associate) , Denise Malone (Administrative Secretary) Present by Proxy: Samuel Cohen to Brenda Kuhn Absent: Anthony Poole, Joan Russell, George Hagood The meeting was called to order by Co-Chair Brenda Kuhn at 1:33 p.m. INTRODUCTION OF NEW MEMBERS By way of introductions, each member gave their name and a brief statement about themselves. APPROVAL OF MINUTES James Miller made a motion to accept the minutes from the April 1991, June 1991 and December 1991 meetings. Seconded by John Ware. Motion carried. OPTIONS FOR INCREASING THE AUTHORITY OF THE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE - DISCUSSION Ms. Kuhn highlighted the concerns brought out at the last meeting regarding the lack of power the Affirmative Action Advisory Committee has to enforce the affirmative action policy within City Government. She asked Committee members to offer their suggestions as to ways in which the implementation of the Affirmative Action Program could be strengthened. A number of suggestions were made, as follows: a) Concentrate on departments whose employment statistics are below the labor force norms. b) Establish a "sign-off" procedure, where a department's statistics and outreach recruitment efforts would be evaluated before a new employee could be hired. Suggestions as to who would have the authority to sign-off on new hires included: the Mayor, the Vacancy Review Committee , the Affirmative Action Advisory Committee. * y Affirmative Action Advisory Committee February 19, 1992 Page 2 c) Either require or strongly recommend that, in departments whose statistics are below the norm, vacancies can not be filled unless the appointment is to increase the representation of protected classes. d) Increase employee awareness and sensitivity through training and by soliciting volunteers from protected classes. The Committee decided that each member should work on a specific proposal to bring to the next meeting. Mr. West suggested inviting the Mayor and John Johnson, Chair of the Human Services Committee, to the next meeting of the Affirmative Action Advisory Committee to get their input and suggestions on the Committee's ideas. OUTREACH RECRUITMENT PROGRAM FOR DPW SEASONAL POSITIONS Ms. Saul said the City will do outreach recruitment for seasonal positions in the Department of Public Works at GIAC and Southside Community Center. She emphasized that the City will not be hiring as many new employees as in years past, due to the upcoming lay-offs of permanent employees. Laid off employees will be given priority for seasonal employment. AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT Ms . Kuhn mentioned that the Americans with Disabilities Act was formally implemented in January 1992. The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities, and requires that public accommodations and public meetings be accessible to people with disabilities. She wants to encourage members of this Committee to work with the Disability Advisory Council in raising people's awareness as to what facilities are and are not accessible. NEXT MEETING The next Affirmative Action Advisory Committee meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, March 18, 1992 at 1:30 p.m. With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:54 p.m. (JOJMItaiek-tAP VALERIE SAUL Personnel Administrator COMPARISON OF CITY STATISTICS WITH LABOR FORCE STATISTICS December 31, 1991 TOTAL PERMANENT CATEGORY LABOR FORCE EMPLOYMENT EMPLOYMENT Total 42 , 282 517 440 . Non-Minority 94 .29% 92 . 65% 93 . 41% Minority 5 . 71% 7 . 35% 6 . 59% Black 2 . 45% 5 . 80% 5 . 00% Hispanic 1. 32% 0 .77% 0 . 91% Asian 1. 82% 0 . 58% 0 . 68% American Indian 0 . 13% 0 . 19% 0 . 00% Male 54 . 52% 71 . 76% 76 . 14% Female 45 . 48% 28 . 24% 23 . 86% CITY OF ITHACA EMPLOYMENT DATA: 12/31/91 I. ALL EMPLOYEES TOTAL NUMBER OF $ NUMBER OF $ EMPLOYEES FEMALES FEMALE MINORITIES MINORITY Permanent Full-time 417 86 21% 29 7% Permanent 23 19 83$ 0 0% Part-Time Temporary/ 77 41 53$ 9 12$ Seasonal TOTAL EMPLOYMENT: 517 146 28$ 38 7$ II. PERMANENT EMPLOYEES BY JOB CATEGORY TOTAL NUMBER OF % NUMBER OF $ EMPLOYEES FEMALES FEMALE MINORITIES MINORITY Job Category_ Officials and Administrators 33 7 21$ 2 6% Professionals 53 14 26$ 4 8% Technicians 34 2 6% 1 3% Protective Service 109 5 5% 5 5$ ParaProfessional 23 16 70% 9 39% Administrative Support 49 44 90% 2 4% Skilled Craft 44 0 0$ 0 0% Service and Maintenance 95 17 18% 6 6% FINANCE DEPARTMENT EMPLOYMENT DATA: 12/31/91 I. ALL EMPLOYEES TOTAL NUMBER OF $ NUMBER OF $ EMPLOYEES FEMALES FEMALE MINORITIES MINORIT` Permanent Full-tile 15 13 87$ 0 0$ Permanent 0 0 0$ 0 0$ Part-Time Temporary/ 0 0 0$ 0 0$ Seasonal TOTAL EMPLOYMENT: 15 13 87$ 0 0$ II. PERMANENT EMPLOYEES BY JOB CATEGORY TOTAL NUMBER OF $ NUMBER OF $ EMPLOYEES FEMALES FEMALE MINORITIES MINORITY Job Category Officials and Administrators 6 4 67$ 0 0$ Administrative Support 9 9 100$ 0 0$ 02/21/92 , AFFIRMATIVE ACTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE 1992 MEMBERSHIP LIST COMMUNITY MEMBERS POOLE, ANTHONY 107 W. Jay Street Work: Executive Director Ithaca, NY 14850 Southside Community Center Phone: 277-6566 305 S. Plain Street Ithaca, NY 14850 Term Expires: 12/31/93 Phone: 273-4190 HAGOOD, GEORGE 501 West Green Street Work: Night Counselor Ithaca, NY 14850 Alpha House Phone: 272-6957 Route 227 Trumansburg, NY 14886 Term Expires: 12/31/92 Phone: 387-6118 KUHN, BRENDA 330 Elm Street Work: Counselor Ithaca, NY 14850 Finger Lakes Independence Ctr Phone: 272-8285 609 West Clinton Street Ithaca, NY 14850 Term Expires: 12/31/93 Phone: 272-2433 LERCH, LINDA 402 North Titus Avenue Work: Real Estate Broker Ithaca, NY 14850 Audrey Edelman & Associates Phone: 277-3098 2333 N. Triphammer Road Ithaca, NY 14850 Term Expires: 12/31/94 Phone: 257-0800 WARE, JOHN 114 South Plain Street Ithaca, NY 14850 Phone: 273-3241 Term Expires: 12/31/93 AFFIRMATIVE ACTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE 1992 MEMBERSHIP LIST Page 2 CITY EMPLOYEES COHEN, SAMUEL Youth Bureau Director Ithaca City Youth Bureau 1 James L. Gibbs Drive • Ithaca, NY 14850 Phone: 273-8364 Term Expires: 12/31/94 • GREEN, ALICE Administrative Assistant Ithaca City Youth Bureau 1 James L. Gibbs Drive Ithaca, NY 14850 Phone: 273-8364 Alternate member for Samuel Cohen Term Expires: 12/31/94 MILLER, JAMES Building Systems Supervisor City of Ithaca Department of Public Works 245 Pier Road Ithaca, NY 14850 Phone: 272-1718 Term Expires: 12/31/92 RUSSELL, JOAN Police Officer Home: 206 South Geneva Street Ithaca Police Department Ithaca, NY 14850 120 East Clinton Street Ithaca, NY 14850 (Preferred Mailing Address) Phone: 272-3245 Term Expires: 12/31/92 VACANT (Police Department Alternate) Term Expires: 12/31/92 AFFIRMATIVE ACTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE 1992 MEMBERSHIP LIST Page 3 DEIS, THOMAS Firefighter Ithaca Fire Department 310 West Green Street Ithaca, NY 14850 Phone: 272-1234 Term Expires: 12/31/93 CALDWELL, BARBARA Firefighter Ithaca Fire Department 310 West Green Street Ithaca, NY 14850 Phone: 272-1234 Alternate member for Thomas Deis Term Expires: 12/31/93 WEST, THOMAS Assistant Civil Engineer City Engineer's Office 108 East Green Street Ithaca, NY 14850 Phone: 274-6530 Term Expires: 12/31/94 STAFF LIAISON: SAUL, VALERIE Personnel Administrator Personnel Department 108 East Green Street Ithaca, NY 14850 Phone: 274-6539 Ex-Officio Member SECRETARY TO THE COMMITTEE MALONE, S. DENISE Administrative Secretary Personnel Department 108 East Green Street Ithaca, NY 14850 Phone: 274-6539 w CITY OF ITHACA AFFIRMATIVE ACTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING March 18, 1992 Present: Linda Lerch, Brenda Kuhn, Samuel Cohen, Barbara Caldwell, Mayor Benjamin Nichols, Denise Malone (Administrative Secretary) Present by Proxy: Thomas West to Samuel Cohen Absent: John Ware , James Miller, Anthony Poole, Joan Russell , Valerie Saul (Personnel Administrator) The meeting was called to order by Co-Chair Samuel Cohen at 1:38 p.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Due to the lack of a quorum the minutes from the February meeting were not approved. OPTIONS FOR INCREASING THE AUTHORITY OF THE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE - CONTINUED DISCUSSION Mr. Cohen asked if anyone had a proposal to present on how to strengthen the implementation of the Affirmative Action Program. Ms. Caldwell read her proposal which gave the Vacancy Review Committee authority to withhold the filling of positions until such time as minority or female candidates could be found, in departments whose employment statistics are below the labor force percentage for minority and/or female representation. Departments which already reflect the diversity of the labor force would not be affected by this process. The Committee members expressed both concerns and suggestions pertaining to this proposal. Ms. Kuhn wanted to know what should be done if the most qualified candidate is not a minority or a female. Mr. Cohen suggested changing the language to read "that a position cannot be filled unless the Department Head shows that reasonable efforts were made to reach individuals in the protected class" . Ms. Kuhn asked if the Vacancy Review Committee is the appropriate place to put this responsibility. Mayor Nichols said a second step could be incorporated into the Vacancy Review process. This step would come into play only if the position is approved. Mayor Nichols stated that the Vacancy Review Committee could delegate this authority to the Personnel Administrator or his/her designee, who would in turn report periodically to the Affirmative Action Advisory Committee. Affirmative Action Advisory Committee ' "" March 18, 1992 Page 2 The Committee agreed that Ms. Caldwell should revise the proposal as discussed and forward it to the Personnel Administrator. Once the proposal has been adopted by the Affirmative Action Advisory Committee, Ms. Kuhn will take it before the Human Services Committee. Mayor Nichols suggested calling each member prior to the next Affirmative Action Advisory Committee meeting to encourage them to attend or to return their proxy. DEPARTMENTAL STATISTICS The Departmental Statistics will be discussed at the next meeting when the Personnel Administrator can be present. With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:15 p.m. C VALERIE SAUL Personnel Administrator Affirmative Action Advisory Committee April 8, 1992 Page 3 AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT Mr. Cohen asked whether the Affirmative Action Advisory Committee is the place to discuss the implications of the currently passed laws. Ms. Saul suggested inviting Assistant City Attorney Patricia Kennedy to address this issue. With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:22 p.m. 0--(°11- VALERIE SAUL Personnel Administrator CITY OF ITHACA AFFIRMATIVE ACTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING June 10, 1992 Present: Linda Lerch, Brenda Kuhn, Samuel Cohen, Thomas West, Thomas Deis , John Ware , James Miller, John Efroymson (Human Services Committee) , Valerie Saul (Personnel Administrator) , Denise Malone (Administrative Secretary) Absent: Joan Russell, Anthony Poole The meeting was called to order by Co-Chair Brenda Kuhn at 1:32 p.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES John Ware made a motion to accept the minutes from the April meeting. Seconded by Thomas Deis. Motion carried. VACANCY REVIEW PROCEDURE (Referral Back from Common Council) Brenda Kuhn reported on her meeting with the Human Services Committee. She stated that the Resolution was passed on to Common Council where it met with some concerns from Alderperson Booth. Ms. Kuhn asked Personnel Administrator Saul if she would present them to the Committee. One of Mr. Booth's concerns, as stated by Ms. Saul, was whether a department with five or less employees and whose percentage is below the Tompkins County labor force for the employment of minorities and femaleshad to go through this process. Mr. Cohen stated that each department head must show that a sincere and concerted effort was made to recruit candidates from the protected class. The Committee agreed that all departments should follow the same procedure. Another concern of Mr. Booth's was the use of the word appropriate. The Committee discussed different words to use in place of appropriate and decided to use the words competitively qualified. Mr. Booth also wanted to know if all applications will be accepted and considered. Mr. Cohen stated that the Committee is interested in a strong, sincere recruitment that will result in many different candidates. After discussion, the Committee agreed to use the phrase "a reasonable number" . Mr. Booth suggested adding written clarification that will detail the steps to this process for department heads. The Committee discussed and agreed to add another resolution detailing the procedure. Affirmative Action Advisory Committee- Meeting June 10 The Committee discussed other concerns of Alderperson Booth that resulted in minor changes. Thomas West made a motion to accept the changes to the Resolution as mentioned above. Seconded by Brenda Kuhn. Motion carried. With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:43 p.m. -SAMUEL COHEN Co-Chair CITY OF ITHACA AFFIRMATIVE ACTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING December 16, 1992 Present: Brenda Kuhn, Samuel Cohen, Thomas West, Joan Russell, Lisa Patz (Acting Personnel Administrator) , Denise Malone (Administrative Secretary) Absent: Linda Lerch, John Ware, Anthony Poole, Barbara Caldwell, Thomas Deis The meeting was called to order by Co-Chair Samual Cohen at 1:40 p.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Due to the fact that there was not a quorum, the minutes from the June 1992 meeting were not approved. VACANCY REVIEW PROCEDURE Acting Personnel Administrator Patz stated that the resolution was passed at the July 1992 Common Council meeting. She wasn't sure if it had been implemented but would make sure it was done at the next Vacancy Review Committee meeting. Mr. Cohen asked whether the current departmental statistics had been sent out. Ms. Patz said no but would make sure all department heads, as well as the Vacancy Review Committee members receive them. Ms. Russell raised the question of activities of the Police Department in regards to affirmative action. Ms. Patz stated that she would inquire about the activities and report back to the Committee at the next meeting. NEXT MEETING The next meeting of the Affirmative Action Advisory Committee will be January 20, 1993. le Wi 'no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:40 p.m. if SAMUEL COH N Co-Chair