FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Americans
Believe Affirmative Action In Hiring Practices Has
Been Good For The Nation
But
Poll Reveals Sharp Drop In Support For Future Use
ELA
Survey Reflects Workplace Beliefs In the Wake of the
U.S. Supreme Court Decision
Upholding Race-Based Preferences in College Admissions
WASHINGTON,
DC/BALTIMORE, MD July 22, 2003 More than 6 out of
10 Americans believe that giving women and minorities
preferences in hiring has been good for the nation, but
there is significantly less support for continuing affirmative
action programs in the workplace.
These are among
the major findings contained in the most recent national
survey commissioned by the Employment Law Alliance (ELA)
in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision upholding
the use of race-based preferences in college admissions.
As part of
the ELA’s continuing series of “America At Work” polls,
1,000 adults were asked their opinion on the ruling as
well as their views on affirmative action, including
its impact on the American workplace.
Of those surveyed,
63% said affirmative action has generally been good for
society, but respondents were equally divided about whether
it remains necessary to achieve diversity in the workplace,
with 42% favoring continued affirmative action programs
and 42% saying that they are no longer necessary. There
was, however, clear support for continuing to extend
preferences to minorities in college admissions, with
58% of those sampled expressing support.
Gary
L. Simpler, an employment and labor partner at
Shawe Rosenthal, LLP, Maryland’s ELA representative
firm, said “the poll findings show broad acceptance
of the historical use of affirmative action programs
in allowing minorities and women to achieve their educational
and career potentials. They also show that the vast
majority of people do not feel that they have been
disadvantaged by affirmative action. The poll results
suggest far less support among Americans for continuing
such programs to achieve diversity in the workplace.
Rather, a large number of those who acknowledged the
benefits of affirmative action programs appear to believe
that the process has achieved the desired results and
that it is time to phase them out.”
When specifically
asked about affirmative action in the context of the
American workplace and their own careers, here is how
poll respondents answered:
Good
For Society
· 63% said affirmative action involving hiring practices for women and
minorities has been good for society
· 20% said affirmative action hiring practices for women and minorities
has not been good for society
· 17% either had no opinion one way or another or did not express an opinion
Necessary
To Achieve Diversity
· 42% said affirmative action was still necessary to achieve diversity
in the American workplace
· 42% said affirmative action was no longer necessary to achieve diversity
in the American workplace
Personally
Benefited In Career
· 19%
said they had personally benefited from affirmative action
in their career. These people tended to be non-white, low
to middle income and without post-high school education
Disadvantaged
In Career
· 14% said they had been personally disadvantaged by affirmative action
in their career
· 69% denied being personally disadvantaged by affirmative action
While a large number of poll respondents think diversity programs in the workplace
are no longer necessary, a number of Fortune 500 companies that filed briefs
in the case expressed views that were more supportive of the continuing
need for diversity programs.
These briefs noted that workers trained "through exposure to widely diverse
people, cultures, ideas and viewpoints" are a business asset "in
today's increasingly global marketplace." In
fact, these companies argued that “race should be considered in college admissions
because modern corporations need a diverse workforce to compete globally.”
Simpler said
that this viewpoint is shared by many of his clients
that have broad diversity programs in place. “It is good
practice to implement hiring policies that help promote
cross-racial/gender understanding, help break down racial
stereotypes, and enable us all to better understand one
another despite our racial, ethnic, and gender differences. It
is important to have employment/HR policies and procedures
in place to support these initiatives and to train management
on these policies.”
The Supreme
Court ruling not only is relevant to the corporate workplace,
but also to the Military. In fact, retired U.S. Military
Leaders filed briefs in support of the University of
Michigan affirmative action programs. Major Tom Languirand,
current “Chief of Diversity Initiatives” for the Army
National Guard in Washington D.C. explains, "to
become an officer in the military, a college degree is
a requirement so, like the Fortune 500 corporations,
we too support the Supreme Court ruling regarding diversity
considerations in college admissions. The National Guard
Human Goals Charter states that the National Guard should
reflect the community from which it serves. As
our communities are diverse, so too must be the talent
pool from which we recruit our officers.”
Like Simpler
who advises his corporate clients to engage in management
training on diversity and other HR policies, Major Languirand,
who advises the Army National Guard on implementation
of diversity initiatives nationwide, adds that "diversity
training is imperative to our success in having ready
units to achieve national security objectives, and the
Army National Guard actively engages in mentoring programs
that allow us to grow our people to senior grades." He
further states that "our formal mentoring programs
are inclusive, designed to offer equal access to opportunities
for all soldiers who seek higher levels of responsibility.
Diversity is the strength of the National Guard and we
strive to build an officer corp that provides career
opportunities for all members, to include women and minorities,
and reflects the diversity of our country and the communities
that we serve."
It is important
to note, Major Languirand continues, "as our soldiers
deploy to take their place along side other nations'
soldiers and cultures, they will have received the training
and tools to effectively become part of a greater whole
to complete the mission, and at the same time be ambassadors
of U.S. values and principles of freedom, democracy,
and our national values of equal rights and opportunities.
The success of the National Guard to capitalize on and
leverage the strengths of different cultures is paramount
to future operations and to ensure that an adequate pool
of trained, motivated soldiers is available for generations
to come. That is what diversity is all about, and a diverse
student body at the college level is important in helping
us achieve our diversity goals in the officer corps." He
further states that "we also have the best trained
and educated enlisted and
non-commissioned officer corps in the history of the services. A diverse student
body will benefit our enlisted force as well."
The ELA
survey was conducted by Reed, Haldy, McIntosh & Associates
of Media, Pennsylvania.
***
The Employment
Law Alliance is the world’s largest integrated,
global practice network comprised of premier, independent
law firms distinguished for their practice in employment
and labor law. There are member firms in every jurisdiction
in the United States and major
commercial centers throughout the world. For further information visit www.employmentlawalliance.com
Shawe Rosenthal,
LLP is a labor and employment law firm dedicated exclusively
to the representation of management in workplace legal
issues and is the Maryland Representative Law Firm of
ELA. Based in Baltimore, Maryland, the firm has a nationwide
labor and employment practice representing more than
30 Fortune 500 corporations. For over 50 years, the firm
has devoted its practice exclusively to providing advice
and counsel to management in all aspects of labor and
employment law and management training. For more information,
including access to the survey charts and graphs, visit
www.shawe.com
|
