HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-AAC-1991 AFFIRMATIVE ACTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
REGULAR MEETING
February 13, 1991
Present: Barbara Caldwell, Brenda Kuhn, Anthony Poole, Thomas West,
Samuel Cohen, Joan Russell , Valerie Saul (Personnel
Administrator) , Lisa Patz (Personnel Associate) , Denise
Malone (Administrative Secretary)
Absent: George Hagood, Cassandra Nelson, James Miller
The meeting was called to order by Sam Cohen at 1:37 p.m.
INTRODUCTION OF NEW MEMBERS
Personnel Administrator Valerie Saul welcomed new members Barbara
Caldwell and Anthony Poole to the Affirmative Action Advisory
Committee.
By way of introductions, Ms. Saul asked everyone to give their name
and place of employment.
ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA
Ms. Saul requested to add the following item to the agenda: Selection
of a Second Co-Chair.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Brenda Kuhn made a motion to accept the minutes from the December 12,
1990 meeting. Seconded by Joan Russell. Motion carried.
SELECTION OF CO-CHAIR
Ms. Russell made a motion to appoint Brenda Kuhn as the second Co-
chair of the Affirmative Action Advisory Committee. After a brief
discussion, the motion was seconded by Mr. Cohen. Motion carried.
TRAINING FOR NON-SUPERVISORY STAFF ON WORKING WITH DIVERSE POPULATIONS
Mr. Cohen mentioned his meeting with Activities Center Coordinator
Marcia Fort regarding the City's affirmative action recruitment
efforts. She feels the City should take an extra step by making the
people we recruit feel more comfortable when they are hired. This can
be done by training the present personnel/staff in how to work with a
diverse population. By the City doing this, the City may be able to
reduce the turnover of minority and female employees.
Affirmative Action Advisory Committee Meeting
February 13 , 1991
Page 2
The Committee had a lengthy discussion on the different training
programs the City has had in the past. Ms. Caldwell mentioned the
series of group meetings the City conducted for the Fire Department on
working with women. She feels these workshops made it easier for her
to adjust to working in a predominantly all male environment. Ms.
Caldwell also suggested some training programs could be offered to the
City employees that spend most of their work time dealing with the
public. By training these employees on how to deal with a diverse
population, it may help prevent the negative opinions the public has.
Tom West mentioned how helpful the training program was the Youth
Bureau had last year for City departments that employed teenagers from
the Municipal Job Program.
Mr. Cohen asked Ms. Saul if we had money in the budget to conduct such
training. Ms. Saul said it depends on how many training sessions we
had and which departments would be willing to assist in paying. Mr.
Cohen suggested going back to Common Council for money if the need
arises. Personnel Associate Lisa Patz mentioned the Labor Department
may conduct a workshop for us free of charge. She further suggested
looking at other agencies that would be willing to offer the same
service. Ms. Caldwell mentioned that the Women in Uniform Services
has a speaker bureau in Albany that we may be able to contact in this
regards.
Mr. Cohen asked Ms. Saul what the next step was. Ms. Saul said she
will bring the subject up at the Department Head meeting to get their
suggestions. Ms. Kuhn wanted to know how it would be decided what
area to look at first. Ms. Saul said the Committee can make that
decision. Ms. Saul said if the Committee had a list of topics they
want covered, she could obtain an estimated dollar amount to include
in her budget for next year.
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION STATISTICS
The Committee reviewed the affirmative action application statistics
and the City statistics as compared to the Labor Force. Ms. Saul
commended the Youth Bureau for continuing to do well in affirmative
action.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:38 p.m.
/ - S
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VALERIE W. sAUL
Personnel Administrator
CITY OF ITHACA
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
REGULAR MEETING
April 10, 1991
Present: Barbara Caldwell, Alice Green, Joan Russell, Thomas West,
Valerie W. Saul (Personnel Administrator) , Denise Malone
(Administrative Secretary)
Present by Proxy: Brenda Kuhn (to Valerie W. Saul)
George Hagood (to Joan Russell)
Absent: Anthony Poole, Cassandra Nelson, James Miller, Samuel Cohen,
Lisa Patz (Personnel Associate)
The meeting was called to order by Thomas West at 1:47 p.m.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Joan Russell made a motion to accept the minutes from the February 13,
1991 meeting. Seconded by George Hagood. Motion carried.
OTHER ITEMS BY COMMITTEE MEMBERS
RECRUITMENT
Mr. West commented on the announcements coming from the Personnel
Department. He suggested that the announcements could explain a
little more about the position as opposed to the qualifications. Ms.
Saul stated that the format we use has to reflect the minimum amount
of experience an applicant can have to qualify for the position as
well as having the approval from the State.
Mr. West suggested keeping the minimum qualifications on the
announcements and add a description of what the position entails.
Alice Green asked if the format could be changed. Ms. Saul said we
could add typical work activities. Ms. Saul said maybe the generic
announcements could be changed but the exam announcements would be
more difficult.
Barbara Caldwell mentioned hanging posters around the City to
advertise the different employment opportunities with the City of
Ithaca. Ms. Caldwell suggested these posters could be put up at the
High School, in the buses, at health clubs or any place where people
frequent. Ms. Caldwell said the posters should be colorful, eye
catching, brief and to the point. She also suggested the radio
Affirmative Action Advisory Committee
April 10, 1991
Page 2
stations for free advertising. Ms. Saul said we have to be careful
that we do not oversell. Ms. Saul stated that Personnel Associate
Lisa Patz is in the process of putting together a sheet detailing how
an individual can go about applying for a position with the City of
Ithaca.
Ms. Green suggested inviting individuals (Counselors from BOCES, VO-
PRO or Ithaca High School) more familiar with youth to speak with the
Affirmative Action Advisory Committee. The purpose in doing this is
to exchange ideas on how we can better recruit potential applicants.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:39 p.m.
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VALERIE W. SAUL
Personnel Administrator
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AFFIRMATIVE ACTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
REGULAR MEETING
June 12, 1991
Present: Thomas West, James Miller, Alice Green, Brenda Kuhn, Samuel
Cohen, Mary Sullivan (BOCES) , Doris Head (IHS) , Judy VanKamp
( IHS) , Betty Miller ( IHS) , Valerie Saul (Personnel
Administrator) , Lisa Patz (Personnel Associate) , Denise
Malone (Administrative Secretary)
Absent: Cassandra Nelson, Barbara Caldwell, Anthony Poole, George
Hagood, Joan Russell
The meeting was called to order by Personnel Associate Lisa Patz at
1: 37 p.m.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Due to the lack of a quorum, the minutes from the April 10, 1991
meeting were not approved.
RECRUITMENT
Ms. Patz introduced the Counselors from BOCES and Ithaca High School
and gave a little background information as to why they were present.
Mary Sullivan, a Work Study Coordinator at BOCES, distributed material
to all present. She said that BOCES is a vocational center that
serves nine schools. Adults as well as students go there to get
technical training that allows them to enter into an entrance level
position. After a student has been in the program for three weeks,
they are given an internship. BOCES' also helps participants with
resumes, interviews, etc. BOCES has a program called Capstone, in
which qualified participants are given practical on-the-job experience
with local businesses.
Judy VanKamp, Betty Miller and Doris Head are Counselors at Ithaca
High School. They deal mostly with college bound students. They do
have students they train on how to get jobs right out of high school.
Encouragement is given to the students to get part-time jobs so they
can have a better idea what field they may be interested in.
Samuel Cohen asked the guest speakers what the City can do to better
recruit potential applicants in their program. The Counselors
suggested having someone from the City visit the high school to give
an overview of what job opportunities are available within the City.
This can be done on a monthly basis featuring different departments.
It was mentioned that the City could have onsite tours of different
departments . The Counselors also suggested that the City offer
internships to the students and as they get older, pay them.
Affirmative Action Advisory Committee
June 12, 1991
Page 2
Mr. Cohen mentioned the YES Program which is similar to some degree to
the programs mentioned by both organizations. He will talk with the
YES Program Coordinators to see what we can offer during the school
year. Mr. Cohen asked the other departments present if they would be
interested in having interns. Discussion followed. One concern of
the Department of Public Works is the age requirement for individuals
working on the equipment. Ms. Sullivan mentioned that if an
individual is trained on a certain piece of equipment and has the
proper supervision, that the Law does permit the individual to operate
the equipment.
Ms. Head mentioned the exit interviews that are done with students.
She stated that it would be nice if they had names to direct these
students to for possible jobs.
The consensus of the guest speakers is that no one knows what the City
has to offer. Personnel Administrator Saul asked the guest speakers
if they ever get any of our job announcements. They have seen them
but only on bulletin boards. Ms. Saul suggested adding the guest
speakers' names to our mailing list for job announcements.
Ms. Alice Green asked about the written material . Ms . Miller
suggested sending the material to them and they will find a visible
place for them to go. Ms. Sullivan mentioned using the school
newspaper. Ms. Green suggested sending our job announcements to the
Career Library. Mr. Cohen talked about setting up an annual schedule
outlining what the City can do.
Mr. Cohen asked Ms. Head and Ms. Sullivan if they would be interested
in being the contact persons for the ' City. Both Ms. Head and Ms.
Sullivan said they would.
Ms . Patz thanked the speakers for coming and sharing with the
Committee their thoughts and ideas.
The Committee discussed what could be done to follow up on our
meeting.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:50 p.m.
I
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VALERIE W. SAUL
Personnel Administrator
COMPARISON OF CITY STATISTICS WITH
LABOR FORCE STATISTICS
June 30, 1991
CITY CITY
CATEGORY LABOR FORCE EMPLOYMENT APPLICATIONS
Total 42, 282 810 435
Non-Minority 94 . 29% 83 . 83% 94 . 02%
Minority 5 . 71% 16 .17% 5 . 98%
Black 2 . 45% 9 . 289% 4 . 60%
Hispanic 1. 32% 1. 869% 0 . 69%
Asian 1. 82% 1. 73% 0 .46%
American Indian 0 . 13% 0 . 12% 0 . 00%
Male 54 .52% 66 . 17% 77 . 01%
Female 45 .48% 33 . 83% 22 . 99%
•
•
CITY' OF ITHACA
EMPLOYMENT DATA: 6/30/91
I. ALL EMPLOYEES
TOTAL NUMBER OF % NUMBER OF 2
EMPLOYEES FEMALES FEMALE MINORITIES MINORITY
Permanent
Full-time 413 81 20% 25 6%
Permanent 24 19 792 0 0a
Part-Time
Temporary/ 373 174 47% 105 23%
Seasonal
TOTAL
EMPLOYMENT: 810 274 34% 131 16%
II. PERMANENT EMPLOYEES BY JOB CATEGORY
TOTAL NUMBER OF 2 NUMBER OF 2
EMPLOYEES FEMALES FEMALE MINORITIES MINORITY,
Job Category
Officials and
Administrators 30 7 23% 1 3%
Professionals 53 11 22% 4 8%
Technicians 35 2 62 1 3%
Protective
Service 107 5 5% 3 3%
ParaProfessional 24 5 63% 8 33%
Administrative
Support 49 43 88% 2 4$
Skilled Craft 44 0 02 0 0%
Service and
Maintenance 95 17 18% 7 7%
FINANCE DEPARTMENT
EMPLOYMENT DATA: 06/30/91
I. ALL EMPLOYEES
TOTAL NUMBER OF 2 NUMBER OF 2
EMPLOYEES FEMALES FEMALE MINORITIES MINORITY
Permanent
Full-time 15 13 87% 0 0%
Permanent 0 0 0% 0 0e
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 2 NUMBER OF
EMPLOYEES FEMALES FEMALE MINORITIES MINORITY
Job Category
Officials and
Administrators 6 4 67% 0 0%
Administrative
Support 9 9 100% 0 0%
CLERK' S OFFICE
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CITY OF ITHACA
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
REGULAR MEETING
December 11, 1991
Present: James Miller, Samuel . Cohen, Brenda Kuhn, Thomas West,
Benjamin Nichols (Mayor) , Valerie Saul (Personnel
Administrator) , Lisa Patz (Personnel Associate) , Denise
Malone (Administrative Secretary)
Absent: Anthony Poole , Barbara Caldwell , Joan Russell , George
Hagood, Thomas Deis
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 April and June
meeting were not approved.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Personnel Administrator Saul mentioned her concern about the Committee
members' lack of attendance at the meetings. Ms. Kuhn asked whether
there was anything written down stating the purpose of this Committee.
Ms. Saul said the purpose of the Committee is described in the Equal
Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Plan. She read the
following from Section VI of the Plan:
"The Affirmative Action Advisory Committee was established in
1981 to serve as a communication link between City employees and
management. The main reason for the committee formation was to
serve as an advisory arm to the Mayor, Common Council and the
Personnel Administrator/Affirmative Action Officer (AAO) to
assist in the achievement of equity in employment opportunities
and to identify barriers that have operated in the past to favor
some groups of employees over others in the City Government labor
force. "
Committee members mentioned how difficult it is to hire minorities due
to the Civil Service regulation regarding the Rule of 3 and the lack
of power to enforce the affirmative action policy with those who do
the hiring. The Committee discussed ways to overcome these problems.
Mr. West suggested implementing an outreach recruitment program for
all open positions , including seasonal . Mayor Nichols suggested
revising the City Charter to give more power to the Affirmative Action
Advisory Committee and supporting a change in legislation to extend
the Rule of 3 to a Rule of 5 or 10.
Affirmative Action Advisory Committee
December 11, 1991
Page 2
WHAT DOES THE COMMITTEE WANT TO ACCOMPLISH IN 1992?
The Committee discussed possible goals for 1992 . It was noted that
little progress in hiring may be made, due to the current restrictions
on hiring caused by budget concerns. After discussion, the Committee
came up with the following list of goals they are interested in
accomplishing for 1992 :
1. Explore options for increasing authority of the Affirmative Action
Advisory Committee;
2. Implement outreach recruitment program for DPW_ seasonal positions;
3 . Explore opportunities for career advancement for employees;
4 . Work with all City departments to establish individual
departmental recruitment plans.
WHY IS ABSENTEEISM A CONTINUAL PROBLEM? -AND IS THERE A MORE CONVENIENT
MEETING DATE/TIME?
These questions were difficult to address due to the lack of Committee.
members present. Ms. Saul mentioned the vacancies on the Committee
and what was being done to fill them, including the recent resignation
of Cassandra Nelson.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2 :52 p.m.
\.
VALERIE SAUL
Personnel Administrator
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