ple in GSA, we have done that. We said we would make significant breakthroughs in the contract compliance area. We have done that. I will note this particularly with regard to A.T. & T., since it is recognized as the largest corporation, and just for a moment read a small section from their annual report.

They state:

All the Bell companies in the course of the year adopted revised affirmative action programs specifying the levels of representation of minorities and women they would seek to attain over the years ahead at every level of our business and in every occupation. They also adopted an upgrade and transfer plan aimed at enlarging the scope of opportunity for all employees by facilitating interdepartmental movement for qualified people.

We signed that agreement on September 19, 1972. As an indication of what it means, there is a further quote here: "We have no male jobs, no female jobs, no black jobs, and no white jobs. What counts is the ability to perform the work and a readiness to do one's best." That is one of those agreements we accomplished during the year.

DATA ON WORK FORCES

I would be happy to respond to any question on what we promised to do last year. We have developed an automated electronic data processing information system to furnish data on a monthly basis to all of our divisions and other supervisors in order to provide them with the capability of analyzing their work forces, to see whether there were possibly any remaining deficiencies, and to further develop an affirmative action plan to overcome those. As a result we have not been listed with that group of Government agencies who have not submited their plans to the Civil Service Commission. Our plan is already in for 1974 and is being worked on by the Civil Service Commission.

They have promised us that they will have either suggestions for improvements or approval back to us before June. This then permits us, with our guidelines going to all our 10 regions, to make our submission in accordance with the law which you gentlemen participated in passing in 1972.

We are proud of our accomplishments. We still have things to do. However, we do have what we think is a good organization to accomplish that. With the small amount of additional resources we are asking for this year as compared with last year we again promise that if you choose to give us this, these goals, timetables, and other types accomplishments that we plan for fiscal year 1974 will be accomplished. Mr. STEED. Mr. Mitchell, you make a very fine report. However, where the Equal Employment Opportunity matter comes up I find that there are two things that people are interested in, even in those agencies which have good statistical reports to show their improvement in this field. One is that 42 percent of the work force represents minorities. How does that break down as to the different minorities? We find some of the minorities think that in one area the Spanish-speaking have too much of the advantage and in other areas the black people have too much of the advantage. While the agency's attention to minorities is very good in toto, it may be too good to one minority as opposed to another. How do the GSA figures break down in the way of ratios of different minorities?

SPANISH SURNAMED AMERICANS

Mr. MITCHELL. Last year we identified, and in our submission to this committee stated, that there was a significant deficiency in our utilization of Spanish surnamed Americans as compared with other minority groups and women in GSA. We made a special effort on that. The Administrator, Mr. Sampson, personally took an interest. I had to make special reports to him. All of the key supervisors of GSA made special efforts. We have significantly increased this.

As an example, last year I stated that we were using the Office of Civil Rights nationwide as a type of model. Already we had about 8 percent. This year we are very close to 14 percent, 13 right now. The next official report will be out the end of this month. We have done that in all of the organizations.

As of right now, with the latest reports I have been working with, if there is a deficiency between minority groups it has swung in the last year so that blacks are a little lower on the totem pole than are the orientals, who are up toward the top, meaning they are near the higher grade levels, and we do have them in about what their proportion of the civilian work force in the geographic area should be. We are talking about small differences like that. Yet, when we are talking about the average annual salaries paid to blacks there would appear from the statistics a number which would be lower on the totem pole. That would not be quite fair because with our custodial workers nationwide, where those individuals are disadvantaged related to the normal training, education, and whatnot, a preponderant number of the custodial workers are black. The type of work they do precludes them from drawing some of the higher salaries, although we have personnel systems which permit those that have a potential to advance to higher grades.

We are interested in all individuals of all characteristics and we police that.

MINORITY POSITIONS AND GRADES

Mr. STEED. The other complaint we hear, even where the statistical report shows good progress, is that the minorities do all right in the lower paid jobs, but have not done as well in the higher paid jobs and in promotions. I gather from your report that you feel you have made substantial progress in the matter of getting promotions in the upper grades directed more toward minorities. Have you any statistics which would show minority advancement in the higher grades of GSA?

Mr. MITCHELL. Yes, sir. We identify this as GS-9 and above for minorities and women. This was identified and we were going to make some extreme efforts in that during this next year. These are some of the figures.

Minorities during fiscal year 1973 received 46.6 percent of all promotions compared to 33.4 percent in fiscal 1972. Of the appointments, minorities received 42.4 percent compared to 35.9 percent in 1972, and women received 33.6 percent of all appointments.

Of the 223 fiscal 1973 appointments at GS-9 level or above nationwide, 30, or 13.5 percent, were minorities and 32, or 14.3 percent, were women. Above GS-9, minorities received 14.9 percent of the promo

tions and women received 30 percent of all promotions and 18.4 percent of promotions at GS-9 and above.

Of particular interest, I believe, is that 87 percent of the promotions of minorities and women at the GS-9 and above level were to positions never previously filled by minorities or women.

MINORITY ORGANIZATIONS AND GROUPS

Mr. STEED. With a record of this sort, surely some notice will begin to be taken by groups outside the Government, civil rights groups and others, who are interested in this type of progress. What can you tell us about any accolades, comments, or criticisms that you may have received from groups not necessarily connected with the Government which bears on the excellence or lack of it in your program?

Mr. MITCHELL. Since 1969 we in GSA have not been subjected to any form of confrontation. You gentlemen know it has been happening to other Government agencies. Recently we have had to participate in all of the major minority organizations, their annual meetings, their conferences, and other things like that, and in women's groups all over. As late as today, just a few moments before coming here, I had a request from the Office of Management and Budget to send my women's coordinator to head a particular panel and planning meeting regarding females. I have been invited to Bluefield, W. Va., to Shreveport, La., and elsewhere. I have a long list of contacts with community groups and others which have been more than satisfied with what we are doing.

Just recently I was in New York at the National Association of Market Developers, made up of both minorities and white groups and companies, predominantly minority, and the National Association of Minority Contractors, to talk with them about procurement opportunities within GSA relating to this. I recently got a communication for another 100 copies of speeches and things such as these. So we are getting that recognition. Yet what we have not done is to overutilize PR which might give an impression that we are saying false things rather than being able to accomplish things which are desired for all individuals.

Mr. STEED. Our colleague from California, Mr. Roybal, who has evinced an ongoing and very strong interest in the entire area of minority employment in the Government, was looking forward to being here today because of your appearance. However, due to illness in the family he had to make an emergency trip to California, so he sent his regrets. It may be that as soon as he gets back he may want to submit some questions you can answer for him.

Mr. MITCHELL. I would be happy to.

Mr. ROBISON. I would like to join with you in congratulating Mr. Mitchell for the report he has just rendered us, and for the solid evidence of accomplishments exhibited by his words and actions and the statistics presented to us.

Mr. MITCHELL. One thing I think would be very important to say here. I would like to emphasize that although as director of Civil Rights I speak for the civil rights program of GSA, it is not done entirely by the employees in the Office of Civil Rights. It has to be done by the supervisors and personnel in these 360-plus locations and

all these other organizations. We in the Office of Civil Rights assist in guidance, training, motivation, and that sort of thing. These results we are talking about really mean someone worked real hard and searched far and wide to get a highly qualified individual for these given jobs or to move them up.

COMPLAINTS

An example of one of the key problems is this matter of complaints, because of certain laws and volunteer lawyers. We have had about a 300-percent increase this year in the number of complaints. Yet under our system the counselors, which represent the lowest level in the complaint process, in all locations, with a ratio of 1 in every 100 people, counseled 2,400 employees. This has resulted in remedial action for 70.8 percent of the employment at that level. Only 34, or 1.4 percent of the formal complaints have come out of that within GSA. Once again, then, you have shown what happens when an organization makes equality of opportunity a normal part of its function. Then if they do make a mistake they are willing and capable of correcting it very quickly. That is one of the reasons that this year we can cut back on the rate of our increase, and hopefully we will meet our established goal, a written goal of ours, that shortly it will be a way of life, a reality in GSA, and there will be little requirement for at least our inhouse program and hopefully for our external program with contractors doing business with the Government.

CONTRACT COMPLIANCE

Mr. ROBISON. Well said, Mr. Mitchell.

One question under contract compliance. We are shown 15 private industries in addition to the GSA construction program. These have been delegated for contract compliance for overview. I notice the motion picture industry is 1 of those 15.

Mr. MITCHELL. Yes.

Mr. ROBISON. Are they that large a supplier of Government services?

Mr. MITCHELL. They meet the requirements of the law which are not that high, some 50 people. At the present time we are in the final stages of an agreement with the total industry which will have a single affirmative action plan agreed to by all elements of the industry. That should be signed, again without a court case, within a week or two. Mr. ROBISON. You refer to the motion picture industry?

Mr. MITCHELL. Yes.

Mr. ROBISON. Where do we use them?

Mr. MITCHELL. Educational training films. We do this work for the total Federal Government.

Mr. ROBISON. And not just GSA?

Mr. MITCHELL. That is right. We do it for the Defense Department and others.

Mr. ROBISON. That might also be where amusement and recreation services comes in; services provided at military posts, and so on? Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Mitchell, when you refer to minorities, when you give us your percentage of minority employment what groups do you include?

Mr. MITCHELL. When I do that I have to follow the guidelines of the Civil Service Commission which identifies those minority groups as being Negro, Spanish-suramed Americans, American Indians and

Oriental Americans.

Mr. EDWARDS. Then you have some responsibility for the employment of women, although they do not fall within the category of minorities?

Mr. MITCHELL. They do not fall within the category of minorities, but according to the law there is supposed to be equal treatment regardless of sex. If you are objective at all you find that the greatest discrimination is sex discrimination.

Mr. EDWARDS. You are not suggesting that I am not objective, are you?

Mr. MITCHELL. No, sir; nor am I suggesting that I am not.

Mr. EDWARDS. I was not suggesting that, either. I wanted clear in my mind what we are talking about here.

Mr. MITCHELL. Yes, sir.

Mr. EDWARDS. So women do come within your purview although they are not considered minorities?

Mr. MITCHELL. That is right.

Mr. EDWARDS. Women are actually a majority, aren't they?
Mr. MITCHELL. They are about 51 percent.

SPANISH SURNAMED

Mr. EDWARDS. When you spoke of a figure of 13.6 percent a while ago, I thought you were talking about Spanish surnamed. Is that

correct?

Mr. MITCHELL. The Spanish surnamed in my office nationwide last year totaled 8 percent. Now it is close to 14 percent. According to my latest figure it is 13.6 percent. Since that time I have hired another senior contract compliance officer, Rodolfo Sanchez, and with that it will probably run that little difference to bring it to about 14 percent.

Mr. EDWARDS. This is within the civil rights office itself?

Mr. MITCHELL. Yes.

Mr. EDWARDS. How do Spanish surnames come in as far as GSA is concerned?

Mr. MITCHELL. In the white collar the Spanish surnamed last year were 1.8 percent. This year they are 2.3 percent. In the wage grade last year they were 3.6 percent. They are now 3.9 percent. In the supervisor level they were 2.4 percent. They are now 2.5 percent.

In the wage leader category, the highest category, they were 3.3 percent. They are now 3.8 percent.

Mr. MYERS. Mr. Mitchell, that is a fine report and a job well done. Mr. MITCHELL. Thank you very much, sir.

Mr. MILLER. Mr. Mitchell, I would like to compliment you on your report, and your testimony concerning civil rights. It was very good. Mr. MITCHELL. Thank you, sir.

Mr. STEED. We are all very pleased to have you make a very fine report. We want to urge you to keep up the good work. I will be happy to convey to our good colleague, Mr.Roybal, that you made such a fine report.