sponsibility of appropriate implementation of the affirmative action program plan, as is evidenced by the many unresolved grievances. The Concerned Minorities Association is bound and determined to address the problem through concerted efforts of achievement of equal employment for all minorities of Rockwell International. It is the intent and purpose of this association to assist in the attainment of the following: Company adherence to the guidelines of title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with regard to prevention and discrimination in federally assisted programs and the initially agreed upon affirmative action program plan. Elimination of all phases of discrimination in employment for all minorities in an effort to build a solid foundation of equal employment opportunities for the present work force and future employees-some who are likely to be offspring of the present work force. It is apparent by the number of grievances filed against Rockwell International since 1970, that the company has not lived up to its affirmative action plan of equal distribution of the minority work force within organizational units and occupational categories. Rockwell's acquisition of the B-1 program contract was conditioned upon a 5-year projection to achieve utilization of minority employees at each managerial level, within the administrative and professional category, and within the advanced technical payroll occupational category. A realistic view of the present affirmative action program plan will reveal that appropriate adjustments established to achieve projected goals have not been accomplished. During the past 4 years, the only resultant action has been a shifting of minority employees within the A. & P. and ATP categories to justify the head count required to substantiate the goals. Now that it is time to extend the B-1 program contract, the present situation of companywide layoffs affords the company grounds for justification of the proposed goals, which are based on work force mix, and continued underutilization of black employees. Acceptance of the 5-year ongoing affirmative action program plan during the performance of the B-1 program contract was based on successful affirmative action results. The Los Angeles B-1 Division president agreed, as did other department heads, to adhere to the equal employment opportunity clause, not to discriminate against any employee, and to insure that the employees are treated during employment without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, age, or national origin. These actions include, but are not limited to: (1) Employment, (2) transfer, (3) recruitment advertising, (4) layoff or termination, (5) rates of pay or other forms of compensation, and (6) selection for training and company-sponsored training and educational programs. B-1 Division staff members who are responsible for the program's effectiveness can be charged only with the flagrant neglect of the principles of the equal employment with a view towards underutilization of black minority and female employees in all departments of the Los Angeles Division. An estimated 250-300 complaints of alleged job discrimination have been lodged against the company by black minority and female employees in an effort to obtain equal employment. These complaints have resulted in little or no action. Instead, grievances have caused in some instances the creation of "instant minorities"; that is, Caucasians who immediately become Indians, Chicanos, orientals, and so forth, in an effort on the part of the company to invalidate the alleged charges of discrimination. The policy of lateral and/or vertical movement of minority employees occurring at a lesser rate than that of nonminority employees is a major contributing force of discontent. The majority of the work force in B-1 manufacturing is made up of black minority employees. However, there exist no job satisfying factors such as responsibility, recognition for ability or job performance, achievement, and most important, advancement. Minorities can be utilized in more managerial, supervisory, or positions of responsibility, if guidelines of the affirmative action program plan are followed. Employment opportunities for nonbargaining employees are not posted or announced to allow an opportunity for upgrading, advancement, or promotion based on ability, job performance, seniority, academic skills, or education level. Promotable minorities are not identified within departments; therefore, they are denied the opportunity to compete for available positions on individual merits. When employment opportunities are made known, major duties and qualifications are not defined to determine what qualifications are required. Thus, qualifications pertinent to the position cannot be determined. As a result of this, black employees are subjected to underutilization and deprived of the opportunity to compete for positions of responsibility or advancement. Affirmative action plans executed under CFT 60-2.25 (f) (4) require contractor's assurance that minority employees are given equal opportunity for promotion, and further, that minority employees should not be required to possess higher qualifications than those of the lowest qualified incumbent. This is contrary to the situations that presently exist at Rockwell International. Black employees in the A. & P. and ATP categories who have college credits and hold degrees are not being considered for advancement or upgrading; instead, they are required to work under nonminority managers and supervisors who have far less seniority, have only a high school education or less, and have no job-performance-related experience. Man specifications are not evaluated on job-performance-related criteria as required. Evidence of the alleged discriminatory practices at Rockwell International is substantiated by a partial listing of individual grievances of B-1 Division employees (see exhibit III), some dating as far back as 1970 with no resultant action taken to date. An investigation into these complaints will reflect the gross deficiencies that exist in the implementation of the affirmative action program plan. These complaints are by no means the only ones in question. They werechosen, however, because they are representative of the problems that continue to confront the greater maiority of black minority population of the manufacturing world of Rockwell International. It should be noted that action on these complaints together with many more is pending due to the large number of complaints filed and the very limited number of consultants available at the local offices of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Fair Employment Practice Commission. What does the future hold for us? We can only see darkness and despair. In 1970, the company embarked upon a less-than-ambitious "affirmative action" plan to increase their total minority work force by 12 percent in 5 years at the B-1 Division (see exhibit VIII). Even these modest goals have not been reached; discrimination still exists widely at the top higher paying levels of the firm. We are further dismayed as an action taken by the company in 1973. At a shareholder's meeting, the corporation voted to eliminate the word "American" from their corporate name for fear that the word "American" would be an "inhibiting factor" (according to the news article listed as exhibit IX). We are well aware of our plight as exploited workers in a corporation which would sacrifice that word "American" for the sake of greater profits. WE NEED YOUR HELP! The following conclusions drafted by the Concerned Minorities of Rockwell International are submitted as a means of approaching a solution to the problems that presently exist in the Los Angeles B-1 Division, with a view to rectification of the existing discrimination practices. 1. Conspicuously post and announce all employment opportunities to assure all qualified nonbargaining minority employees are informed and receive consideration for upgrading, advancement, or promotion. 2. Define qualifications and duties of employment opportunities, to include directorship, managerial, supervisory, and other positions of responsibility, to allow minority employees an opportunity for advancement based on education, ability, job performance, and seniority. 3. Comply with the affirmative action program plan by evaluating academic and experience levels, job performance, and ability of senior minority employees to determine their potential for promotion or upgrading. 4. Investigate the pay scale of Los Angeles B-1 Division employees to insure that equal wage rates and salary compensation prevails for black minority employees who function in same classifications and perform same responsibilities or man-specifications of nonminorities. 5. Identify all minority employees holding top managerial or supervisory positions in the Los Angeles B-1 Division by name, race, classification, salary level, and department to substantiate the company projections showing minority employees in these positions. 6. Review qualifications of black minority employees to insure they are given full opportunity for transfers and promotions. 7. Exclude the policy of lateral and/or vertical movement of minority employees occurring at a letter rate than that of nonminority employees. 8. Conduct an immediate in-plant investigation of the Los Angeles B-1 Division with representatives of the EEOC and the Concerned Minorities of Rockwell International in attendance, to verify the validity of the alleged complaints of poor employment and discriminatory practices. In conclusion, the Concerned Minorities of Rockwell International respectfully submit the following recommendations: 1. Request Congress initiate an investigation at the Los Angeles EEOC Office into the reason for delay of processing the excessive backlog of complaints alleged against Rockwell International and determine a responsive system of resolving these complaints. 2. Request the EEOC take appropriate action through the Office of Federal Contract Compliance to prevent the continuance of job discrimination at Rockwell International prior to issuance of any production contract or before an extension of the existing affirmative action program plan is granted. 3. Request that this presentation in its entirety be made available to the Congress, together with any other evidence of job discrimination at Rockwell International that may be obtained through investigation by EEOC. 4. There must be, in future contracts, some guarantee that work will not consistently be moved out of the plants which are located in and/or near the ghettos and barrios. Congress may choose to provide financial assistance to effect this. 5. Members of this hearing committee, together with Congress, can assist by recommending moneys be funded to staff the local EEOC and FEPC offices so that the large number of grievances, can be expeditiously processed. Further, it is requested that EEOC and FEPC establish a quarterly onsite investigation of all organizations of Rockwell International, which would include direct exposure to aggrieved employees. 6. Congress should pass laws to enforce fuller union participation in affirmative action programs. (Exhibit 10 only describes part of the problem.) Mr. HAWKINS. Thank you. Mr. Ball. At the beginning we overlooked the lady at the end, who has joined the panel. Mrs. JARRETT. Jimmie Jarrett. Mr. HAWKINS. What is it, please? Mrs. JARRETT. Jimmie G. Jarrett, J-a-r-r-e-t-t. Mr. HAWKINS. Yes, Mrs. Jarrett. I think that there is another prepared statement. Mr. BUTTNER. Yes, Mr. Chairman. I would like to have the opportunity Mr. HAWKINS. You are Mr. Buttner? Mr. BUTTNER. B-u-t-t-n-e-r, right. Mr. HAWKINS. Thank you. Mr. Buttner. Mr. BUTTNER. I am the Spanish-surname ethnic representative for the Rockwell International Aerospace Division in Downey, and I am here at the request of the Spanish-surname community at the space division, and we view this as an opportunity to air the problems that we feel, and the deficiencies that we feel, exist at the space division. Mr. HAWKINS. Would you, Mr. Buttner, care to summarize your statement? The statement in its entirety will be in the record at this point, and I would suggest summarizing the highlights of the statement in order to conserve time. I don't know how many other statements will be made. Mr. BUTTNER. I will try to summarize it as I go along and read out of context. To put it in perspective, in 1969 when the affirmative action program was instituted throughout the Rockwell International Corp., Aerospace Division, the space division Spanish-surnamed employment amounted to 3.9 percent of the work force. In the subsequent 6 years, with affirmative action program activity and the Office of Federal Con tract Compliance surveillance, the initial percentage has increased to 7.6 percent or slightly more than 0.6 percent per year. Since 15.1 percent is required to achieve parity with the surrounding Spanish-surnamed population work force, it can be seen that with the current progress rate, more than 12 years would be required to arrive where we should be now. Specific areas or deficiencies where the Office of Federal Contract Compliance surveillance and controls are lacking follow: Orientation: Affirmative action programs offer everyone, minorities, nonminorities, males, females, the physically handicapped, the aged, and the educationally disadvantaged, yet all affirmative action program activities are directed and slanted toward minorities, with no effort to inform the dominant majority of the inequities that exist and that traditionally have plagued the progress of minorities, nor of the benefits and objectives that exist for all. It appears as if the affirmative action program is deliberately utilized as a polarizing tool to nullify gains and incite majority resistance. The Spanish-surnamed community feels that this is a grave error that will result in a serious backlash detrimental to all since it increases the gap of misunderstanding that now exists between minorities and nonminorities. Overqualification demands: There exists an underlying attitude. throughout upper management that minorities must be "super qualified," "super performers," and "culturally acceptable" in order to be considered or appointed to fill positions of responsibility and authority, yet similar criteria is not applicable to dominant majority members, when considered for identical positions. We feel that as a minimum, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance has the responsibility of requiring contractors to air these problems openly and resolve them on an equitable manner consistent with affirmative action goals. Accountability: At present there exists no management accountability in the affirmative action program that requires officials, managers, and firstline supervisors in particular, to implement and enforce affirmative action policies. Yet, it is at the first line supervisory level that they are the most effective and where the new employees' atttitudes are molded to the concepts of equal opportunity and fair play. If policy is to be meaningful and valid, it must be applied, enforced, and made to work at all levels, not circumvented by the appointment of a few token individuals in meaningless positions for showcase purposes. The Office of Federal Contract Compliance initiation of performance accountability and judicious monitoring of the rate of efficiency and equity with which it is practiced, could effectively reduce these problems. Visibility: The Office of Federal Contract Compliance communications with employees is virtually nonexistent outside of company management. The question is how can problems be identified, verified, and rectified if only management is involved? Communication with the Office of Federal Contract Compliance representatives by employees and their formal-informal spokesman or group efforts, such as the Chicano forum are urgently needed. Most employees are unaware of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance |