Affirmative Action In Seattle :: essays research papers

Affirmative Action in SeattlePresent efforts to repeal affirmative litigate argon based on several generalmisconceptions. One is that our society, having reached a point of true equality,no longer needs programs that help government recover and hire qualified women,people of color, and persons with disabilities. Unfortunately, there is abundantevidence -- from Census Bureau data and academic studies, to news accounts andeveryday experiences -- that we still have a long way to go to achieve equalityof opportunity for all social groups.Another misconception is that affirmative action is based on quotas, andthat, as a result, the government is hiring unqualified candidates. This viewfundamentally misrepresents the reality of affirmative action in the city ofSeattle. The Citys affirmative action program does not establish numericalquotas for hiring decisions, nor does it result in the hiring of unqualifiedcandidates on the basis of gender or race.What the City of Seattles affirmativ e action program does is verysimple first, it gives City managers and labour play officers a snapshot of thelabor market, so that they are aware of the availability rates for differentgroups for a wedded job classification. Through these availability rates, theCity can determine whether or not women, people of color, or persons withdisabilities are underrepresented in a given job classification within the domesticateforce second, the Citys affirmative action program encourages managers andpersonnel officers to make special outreach efforts into groups and communitiesthat are underrepresented in our work force, in order to increase the number ofqualified candidates in the potential hiring poolThird, the Citys affirmative action program directs that when there aretwo fully qualified candidates for a given position, preference should be givento the candidate that will make our work force more reflective of the labor pooland the broader community.Still another misconception is that a ffirmative action fosters "reverse distinction" by giving minority candidates an unfair advantage over whitecandidates. However, a recent statewide study of affirmative action practicesconcluded that "whites are the primary beneficiaries of affirmative actionprograms affecting hiring -- this includes large numbers of white men as well aswhite women."It is also important to smell that once the work force of a certain jobclassification within a particular City department reaches the point where itreflects the diversity of the operational labor pool, affirmative action effortsare terminated for those job classifications. Affirmative action is onlyutilized for job classifications where women, people of color, and persons withdisabilities are underrepresented within the work force.This overall approach has served Seattle well. It has provided a