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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution #0757v= RESOLUTION N0. '"I5 A RESOLUTION APPROVING AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PROGRAM. WHEREAS, there is before this meeting a form of proposed affirma- tive action program for the City of Canton, Illinois. NOW, THEREFOR, BE IT, AND IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CANTON, ILLINOIS AS FOLLOWS: 1. That the affirmative action program, a copy of which is attached hereto and made a part hereof as Exhibit A is hereby adopted as the affirma- tive action program of the City of Canton, Illinois. 2. This Resolution shall be in full force and effect upon its passage by the City Council of the City of Canton, Illinois and approval by the Mayor thereof. PASSED by the City Council of the City of Canton, Illinois and APPROVED b the Ma or thereof this it! Y Y °1 day of /~ A f~2C f~ 1978. APPROVED : /tee-"~~~-y~MAYOR HARLAN E. CROUCH ATTEST: Q .~`~ ~~ CITY CLERK NAN S. WHITES :a w ( F ... f~ ~ ~, c CITY OF CANTONS LLLINOIS AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PROGRAM Adopted ,• 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Pa e Preface i Table of Contents ii Statement of Policy 1 Goal ~ 1 Affirmative Action Program Dissemination 1 Responsibilities for the Implementation of the Affirmative Action Program 2 Recruitment 4 Selection 5 Promotions and Transfers 6 Working Conditions 6 Reporting and Follow-up 7 Grievance Procedure 7 Affirmative Action Program Relating to Section 3 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 8 Summary Statement 9 Appendix A. List of.Full and Part-time Municipal Employees ,- 9 i ii Preface Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, as amended, the Equal Opportunity Act of 1972, several executive orders as well as many other laws and federal directives, prohibit the discrimination of any person on the basis of race, color, sex, age, ancestry or national origin. The term "affirmative action," while first in use in the late 1960'x, became much more prevalent in the early 1970's. One of the first requirements of the Equal Opportunity Act of 1972 was that cer-' twin organizations develop and implement a plan of "affirmative action." For many, the question still remains, "What is affirmative action?" We would suggest that affirmative action has two separate but related definitions: 1. Affirmative Action consists of those activities a local unit of government or organization undertakes to insure that no policy, '~ procedure, or practice in its total personnel system unfairly or ' ` adversely affects the interest of any group of applicants and/or employees; and 2. Those activities the local unit of government or organization under- takes to assist applicants and employees to overcome the adverse effects caused by society or by a legal unit of government or organ- izations' personnel policies, procedures, and practices of the past. It is the City's intent to continue to assure that dust and equal treatment is given to employees and applicants in all areas of our employment practices. Further, the City of Canton, through its Af- firmative Action Program, herein establishes an active policy of en- couraging, soliciting and assisting racial minorities, women and the handicapped in obtaining employment in the City of Canton and shall en- courage and support the efforts of each and every local organization to p undertake a similar positive affirmative action posture. ~ i STATEMENT OF POLICY It has been, and continues to be', the policy of the City of Canton to provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex or national origin. The City's policy applies to every aspect of employment including, but not limited to, recruitment, employment, placement, promotion, demotion, transfer, training, compen- sation, benefits, reduction in work force and termination. GOAL It is the intent of the Affirmative Action Program to codify past policies of the City of Canton and to assure and protect to the greatest extent feasible all employees of the City of Canton and ail applicants for employment against discrimination by race, color, religion, sex, , national origin, or physical condition with regard to recruitment, em- ployment, assignments or promotions, and to assure equal opportunity in the employment of consultants. '~ • AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PROGRAM DISSEMINATION 1. The City's Affirmative Action Program and policies shall be dis- . tributed to all employees. 2. The Affirmative Action Program and policies shall become an integral part of the orientation program for all new employees. 3. Information covering equal opportunity, progress reports, pro- motions, etc., that are relevant to this Affirmative Action Pro- gram shall be communicated in municipal publications whenever ap- propriate. 4. Union officials shall be informed of this policy, and their co- operation and support in implementing the City's programs shall be actively sought. In addition, they will be encouraged to develop , their own Affirmative Action Program. 5. Should any contracts be entered into with an employee union, they should include nondiscriminatory.work clauses. Current informal work agreements shall be reviewed to ensure nondiscrimination. -1- ., 6. Notices will be posted in City Hall informing applicants of their - equal employment rights and their right to notify the appropriate agencies if they believe they have been the victims of discrimina- tion. 7. Notices of City job openings shall be disseminated to minority group organizations where possible and appropriate. 8. There shall be cooperative working relationships with Manpower programs operating within the community, and they shall be advised of the City's Affirmative Action Program. ; 9. The statement that. the City of Canton is an "Equal Opportunity Em- ployer" shall be included in all advertising. 10. The City will communicate to recruitment sources, including state and federal agencies, high schools, technical schools, vocational schools and colleges, the City's policy of nondiscrimination and interest in minority male and female applicants. ~~ 11. The City's policy shall be made known and discussed when appropri- ate with leaders of minority groups, educational institutions and other appropriate community organizations on appropriate occasions. 12. Written notification of this policy shall be sent to all contrac- tors, vendors and suppliers requesting appropriate action on their part. This notification is the responsibility of the Mayor's of- fice and/or the Finance and Personnel Committee. 13. New or vacant positions shall be posted for staff review upon the development or vacancy of each respective position and shall refer to the City's Affirmative Action Program. RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PROGRAM • 1. The Mayor's office, in conjunction with the Finance and Personnel ~ Committee, shall have the responsibility for implementation of -the City's. Affirmative Action Program. Responsibilities include peri- odic review and adjustment. necessary to achieve our goals and -2- further the principle of equal opportunity employment. Additional responsibilities include, but are not limited to: a. Developing policy statements and action-oriented pro- grams aimed at achieving equal opportunity goals. b. Evaluating, revising, and updating the City's Af- firmative Action Program. c. Identifying equal employment problem areas and de- veloping solutions. d. Keeping informed of the latest developments in the equal opportunity area. e. Conducting periodic audits of hiring and promotional patterns to remove any barriers. f. Meet periodically with department heads, supervi- sory personnel and employees to insure that this ` policy is being followed. g. Serve as liaison between the City and the State and Federal governmental agencies and other groups con- '~ cerned with the equal employment of minorities, ,. female and handicapped. h. Working with contractors, vendors and suppliers to ensure that they meet equal employment opportunity requirements specified in contracts. i. The Mayor and/or the Finance and Personnel Commit- tee,shall take appropriate action as he deems neces- sary against any staff member who is found not fol- lowing the intent of his program. Such action, in order of increasing severity include: 1) Verbal reprimand 2) Written reprimand 3) Temporary suspension with or without cause 4) Dismissal from employment j. Should an occasion arise which demands the hiring of personnel to meet emergency operational de- mands in which time does not allow normal affirma- ? tive action procedures, the following shall pre- 1 wail: . 1) The Mayor shall make the decision which designates the emergency situation. - 3- 2) The Mayor shall issue written authority to expedite placement or placements needed under the provisions of this pro- gram. 3) Prior to the execution of emergency pro- cedures, the Mayor shall confer with the Finance and Personnel Chairmen. 4) At his earliest convenience, the Mayor shall report the circumstances and results to the City Council. 2. Responsibilities of all department heads shall include, but not be J limited to: a. Implementing the Affirmative Action Program in their departments. b. Assisting the identification of problem area and es- " tablishing departmental goals or objectives. c. Cooperating with local community programs designed to increase employment of minority, female, and Nandi- ~+ capped applicants. ,. d. Reporting to the Mayor's office of the Finance and Personnel Committee all employees who engage in practices which do not provide just and equal treat- went to fellow employees on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin or ancestry. RECRUITMENT In order to encourage job-seeking minority people to consider and utilize the City as a realistic source of employment, the City shall: 1. Widely distribute and publicize this Affirmative Action Program and the City's commitment hereto. 2. Make periodic general .written reiteration of our equal opportunity employer's status and our commitment to an effort of affirmative action to any agencies and/or organizations which have substantial contact with potential minority applicants. 3. Periodically make personal contact with area high school and col- lege guidance, counseling and placement services emphasizing our general attitude toward minority employment and encourage them to -4- refer qualified minority students to us. 4. Make periodic personal contact with job development and training programs emphasizing our equal employment policies and encourage them to refer qualified participants to us. 5. Applicants for classified positions will be accepted any time and kept on active file for a period of one year. When vacancies oc- cur, qualified minorities and female applicants as well as other qualified applicants will be contacted. SELECTION In order to provide fair and equitable treatment of canditates competing for positions, the City shall ensure that: 1. Uniform hiring qualifications capable of objective evaluation shall be maintained for all occupational categories. ,~ 2. All pre-employment tests shall be administered uniformly without regard to race; color, religion, sex, age, ancestry or national origin. 3. All interviews will be conducted in a uniform manner. Questions will be job related. 4. All applicants shall be advised of their test results and of the City's hiring criteria upon request. 5 Lists of applicants who have qualified for employment through the successful completion of the City's selection procedures will be maintained by the City Clerk's office. In making selections from these lists, department heads shall consider the goals of the Af- firmative Action Program. 6. Any testing procedures used in selection, placement and upgrading will be based on job requirements. 'q 4 7. The job selection process including position descriptions, job.re- quirements, applications forms, interview procedures, test adminis- trations, test validity and similar factors shall be analyzed --5- periodically to insure that they will at all times remain consis- tent with the objectives of this program. PROMOTIONS AND TRANSFERS 1. All department heads, the Finance and Personnel Committee and the Mayor's office making recommendations and/or promotional appoint- ments or transfers shall be guided by the intent of this program in making their decisions from among those candidtates available to them. 2. Maximum opportunity shall be provided for employees to advance sa as to perform at their highest potential.. Every possible consider- ation will be given minority employees for promotional and ad- vancement opportunities. consistent with merit principles. 3. There shall be no discriminatory impediments which constitute un- warranted barriers to upward mobility. In this regard, all pro- motion and transfer selection devices and procedures shall be re- viewed and made to confirm to the specific requirements and the ` initial purpose of the section on selection in the Affirmative Action Program. 4. Performance evaluations shall be completed at regular intervals for all employees by their supervisor to determine progress and potential for advancement. 5. Efforts shall continue to be made to encourage all employees to im- prove their skills through training and excellence for openings of greater opportunity. WORKING CONDITIONS ,+ 1. No employee shall be denied access to facilities or services of the City of Canton on account of race, sex or ethnic background. Where it is logical to do so, access shall be provided for the physically handicapped to encourage their employment with the City. ~ 2. Sex, race or ethnic background shall not be a basis for differen- tiating the amount of responsibility, compensation, latitude or -6- discretion given an employee within a given position classification or job title. REPORTING AND FOLLOW-UP The City of Canton will continue to comply with the reporting requirements of the appropriate laws, rules and regulations issued by governmental agencies. This program will be updated as many times as necessary to increase its effectiveness. Copies will be available upon request. GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE Although applicants and employees can file discrimination com- plaints with the Illinois Fair Employement Practices Commission, the U.S. Equal Employment,Opportunity Commission, or the U.S. Equal Employ- went Opportunity Commission, or .the U.S. Department of Justice, it is believed that almost all complaints which may be filed can be resolved , locally in a more speedy and personalized manner. t The overall objective is to resolve grievances. at the level in which they arise, and to take the issue to the succeeding next higher supervisors only if the grievance remains unresolved. PrnrcA~wca t Step 1.. Grievance may, at the discretion of the persons agrieved, first be made known to the other parties so involved. They may be in verbal or written form but should be done as quickly as pos- sible after the grievance arises. Step 2. If the grievance is unresolved by the procedure in Step 1, or if Step 1 is not elected to be followed, the persons agrieved shall within two days take the issue to the supervisor who shall hold a meeting between the parties involved. Such meeting A shall be held within two working days after the supervisor is notified. Step 3. Grievances remaining unresolved by Step 2, shall be taken to the Finance and Personnel Committee. A meeting shall be held -7- .~. +. between the parties involved. Said meeting shall be held with- in two working days after the Chairman of the Finance and Per- sonnel Committee is notified. Step 4. Grievances referred to the Mayor shall be written, with com- ments and evaluations of supervisory personnel and the Fi- nance and Personnel Committee, if any, attached. The Mayor shall follow the procedures of Step 2 and may request, in adds- tion to the employees's or applicant's written grievance, the presence of other persons who may reflect objective comment on the situation. If the grievance remains unresolved, the Mayor shall, within two working days, render a finding to the par- ties involved. Such finding may include any additional step procedures he finds desirable to resolve the issue, or may con- '. tain a policy or direction to terminate further discussion of the issue. 4 ,, AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PROGRAM RELATING TO SECTION 3 OF THE HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 1968 ~. 1. Section 3 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 relates to equal employment opportunities for business and lower income persons in connection with (Federally) assisted projects. Section 3 requires: "That to the greatest extent feasible, opportunities for training and employment be given lower income residents of the project area and that contracts for work in connection with the project be awarded to business concerns which are located in, or owned in substantial part by persons residing in the area of the project." 2. Programs which receive direct financial assistance in aid of housing, urban planning, development, redevelopment or renewal, public or , community facilities and new community development shall follow the ~ requirement of Section 3 listed above. The financial assistance may be in the form of a loan, grant, subsidy or other financial aid. -8- r1 1 ~' ' 3. Every applicant, recipient, contracting party and subcontractor shall be made aware of the regulations of Section 3 when appli- cable to a project on which they are applying for or have received a contract to provide services. This information may be received through the City Clerk's office. SUMMARY STATEMENT The purpose of this affirmative action is to insure that the City's policy toward equal employment opportunity is stated in a posi- tive manner and is clearly understood by City personnel involved in its implementation and also understood by individuals and organizations out- side of the City`s structure. ,~ P i -9- ;` Appendix A List of Full and Part-tame Municipal Employees City of Canton, Illinois February, 1978 Administration Position/Title Police Department Position/Title Fire Department Position/Title Water/Sewer Department Street, Alley & Garbage Disposal. Miscellaneous Sex Race ,• w f 1