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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 C; auto_ VL 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. L/Of. Lu_ c/CY-uudd VALERIE W. SAUL Personnel Administrator SOI33O S , xdSZO 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 /(0 ( ,( 9\,4 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 Ccc it e 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 SJI33O S ,MaazJ