WHEREAS:

Serious discrimination persists in the United States, resulting in unequal treatment of women, minorities and people with disabilities in employment, pay, education, voting rights, and housing; and

WHEREAS:

Affirmative action programs give women, minorities and people with disabilities an equal opportunity to compete for jobs and education through recruitment, outreach and training; and

WHEREAS:

These policies do not mandate quotas or require the hiring, promotion, or admission of unqualified candidates; and

WHEREAS:

Polls consistently show that Americans, by a 3-2 margin, support federal affirmative action programs; and

WHEREAS:

The Business Roundtable and the National Association of Manufacturers have repeatedly endorsed affirmative action, stating that affirmative action is good business; and

WHEREAS:

These programs are under attack by the Gingrich/Dole 104th Congress and in California by the so called "California Civil Rights Initiative;" and

WHEREAS:

The proposed "Equal Opportunity Act of 1996" goes beyond Adarand and all other Supreme Court decisions that have set stringent guidelines on affirmative action; and

WHEREAS:

The legislation negates the national goal of ending discrimination and promoting opportunity for previously-excluded groups by blocking federal efforts to provide a remedy for proven discrimination; prohibiting targeted recruitment of women and minorities; eliminating the use of statistical information to show patterns of discrimination or to measure progress in meeting affirmative action goals; and actually legalizing intentional sex discrimination in the armed forces.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That this 32nd International Convention reaffirm AFSCME's commitment to the concept of affirmative action to eradicate discrimination by bargaining for affirmative action plans in our contracts, monitoring current plans to ensure that goals are being met, and supporting members who have been discriminated against by pursuing administrative and/or legal actions; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME vigorously opposes the 104th Congress's attempt to turn back the hands of time by eliminating federal affirmative action; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:

That AFSCME work in coalition with civil rights organizations across the country to defend the merits of affirmative action and defeat such measures as the so called "California Civil Rights Initiative" that seek to undermine the hard-fought gains of the last 30 years.

SUBMITTED BY:

Arthur Pond, President
Alice Goff, Secretary
AFSCME Council 36
California

John Riehl, Delegate
Michael Muholland, Delegate
AFSCME Local 207, Council 25
Michigan