TITLE
Recommendation to adopt resolution, which commits the City of Long Beach to a policy of nondiscrimination and equal employment in all hiring activities, and refer the proposed three-year Equal Employment Opportunity Program Plan 2007-2009 to the Personnel and Civil Service Committee for review. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
The City of Long Beach actively monitors workplace hiring practices. Beginning in 1973, the City developed an Affirmative Action Plan to report on population and labor market availability by gender and race.' Numeric "goals and objectives" were established to address areas of under-representation. In the mid-1990's, changes in federal and state laws required that the City discontinue the practice of developing specific goals and objectives.
Proposition 209 (the California Civil Rights Initiative) was passed by the voters in 1996. It prohibits the City from giving preferential treatment to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin. Proposition 209 also prohibits the City from using race or ethnic-based quotas or numerical goals in our hiring practices. As a result, the City changed from establishing numeric goals and/or quotas to establishing narrative objectives to address under-representation. Examples of narrative objectives include:
. To ensure equal access to all employment opportunities and to address categories that are under-represented, the Civil Service Department staff will continue to work with City Departments to focus its outreach efforts in areas where female and minority candidates are concentrated.
. To attract a larger applicant pool, available resources throughout the Southern California region continue to be used in the recruitment and selection process. Specifically, community organizations, community colleges and universities, trade schools and professional associations with large female and minority populations are targeted for recruitment efforts. A variety of multi-media resources, such as community newspapers, military newsletters, billboards, Internet websites, radio and cable television in specific media markets are utilized and updated annually. The City utilizes many techniques in the recruiting and testing areas that enhance our testing process, including but not limited to, the use of the Internet, the use of band scores on eligible lists, selective certification for bilingual candidates, and the streamlining of testing processes to expedite candidate selection.
. To provide opportunities for upward mobility within the work force, internal methods to identify possible career paths and career development programs, such as the mentor program, supervisory and leadership-training programs, job specific training, and transfer-for-training programs will continue to be used. To capture the youth population as potential female and minority Firefighters and Police Officers, the City will continue to enhance youth development programs, such as Police Explorer and Fire Search and Rescue programs. In addition, the City's Workforce Development Program provides outreach to local high school students who participate in the annual youth job shadowing, job fair and internship programs.
The City currently uses an Equal Employment Opportunity Plan (EEOP) to capture these narrative objectives and provide hiring data. The EEOP analyzes the City's work force in comparison to its relevant labor market to determine if females and/or minorities are underrepresented in the work force. The City uses the combined labor markets of Los Angeles and Orange Counties to determine the Labor Market Availability (LMA). LMA data includes persons over the age of 16, who are already employed, as well as those recorded as unemployed. The Plan identifies areas that are below the relevant labor market, sets forth overall non-numeric objectives to address under-representation, and determines steps to achieve these objectives. Attached is the proposed 2007-2009 Equal Employment Opportunity Plan. (Exhibit A)
2007 Accomplishments
Status of New Hires 2007:
The following status report provides a breakdown of the hires in the City's permanent fulltime work force for 2007.
In 2007, there were 470 new hires. Of those hired in 2007, 215 or45.7% were female, 305 or 64.9% were minority, and 368 were white females and minorities, for a combined white female and minority-hiring rate of78.3%. Attachment A provides an overview of 2007 new hires. This represents an increase of 3% in minority hires between 2006 and 2007. However, Females, as a whole, and Hispanics continue to be under-represented in the work force by 10.9% each (See Attachment D). To address this area of underrepresentation, the City will continue to work with Civil Service staff and Departments to focus outreach efforts at increasing female and minority representation.
The City's EEOP continues to emphasize placing more females and minorities into Firefighter and Police Officer positions. During 2007, there were no firefighter recruit academies conducted. However, the Police Department held two academy classes, totaling 83 hires. Of those, 12 or 14.5% were females and 53 or 63.9% were minorities, for a combined white female and minorities hiring rate of 55 or 66.3%. In the last five years, there has been a 54% increase in the combined hiring rate for white females and minorities in the Firefighter and Police Officer positions, which was 43.1 % in 2003. More specific information regarding Police Recruit and Firefighter Recruit academies is contained in Attachment B. Fire and Police will continue to focus on enhanced recruitment efforts, which will include:
· I nvolvement with the Rescue Youth program by Fire Department staff to provide atrisk youth positive role models as well as educate them about careers in the fire service;
· Provision of Junior Lifeguard program scholarships to expose economicallydisadvantaged youth to Marine Safety careers;
· Development of an in-house Fire Department committee for outreach to faith-based organizations serving the African-American community;
· Participation on the California Professional Firefighters' standing committee on recruitment and retention of females;
· The Fire Department institution of the Basic Life Support (BLS) Transportation Program to provide entry level positions in the public safety field;
· Recruitment for the BLS Program at Fire Academies with a diverse candidate pool, such as Rio Hondo College;
· Encourage all minority Safety personnel to act as recruiters;
· Visits to minority colleges and military bases in the region and outside the state to recruit candidates for Police Officer classifications;
· Assignment of Police Chiefs Advisory Groups (African-American, Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander) as "Community Recruiters" for various Outreach Programs;
· Participation in ethnic community events and local parades;
· Visits to African-American churches to discuss law enforcement careers with families;
· Development of Cambodian Community Police Academy for Outreach to Cambodian families and young people; and, · Outreach to minority youth by the Chief of Police through interviews on popular radio stations.
Work Force Analysis
The City's full-time permanent work force consisted of 4,664 employees as of December 31, 2007. The City continues to maintain steady levels for females and minorities, 1,593 or 34.2% were females, and 2,465 or 52.9% were minorities. The combined white female and minority rate is 3,094 or 66.3%. Please refer to Attachment D for an overview of the work force. The City has continued to show an incremental increase in the number of females and minorities in the work force since 2004. In 2004, the combine white female and minority rate was 2,906 or 64.7%, and in 2007, it was 3,094 or 66.3%. This represents an increase in the combined white female and minority rate of 1.6%. The City's ultimate objective is to establish a diverse work force that is reflective of the relevant labor market for white females and minorities (77.1 %). Refer to Attachment C.
The City's work force is divided into the classified and unclassified service. The unclassified service includes elected and appointed officials and their staff, the City Manager and his staff, the City Clerk and his staff, Department Heads, Managers and their secretarial/clerical support, and all personnel in non-career positions. The classified service is comprised of all positions not specifically included in the Charter as being in the unclassified service. Employees in the unclassified service constitute 18% of the work force, while employees in the classified service make up 82% of the work force. The number of white females and minorities in the classified service is 51.8% and those in the unclassified service total 57.7%.
In 2007, in addition to the work of individual departments, the former City Manager directed a Special Committee to identify and address EEO challenges and opportunities for improving female and minority hires and promotions, as identified in the EEOP. Specifically, in 2007, the following actions were implemented:
· Developed financial incentives for City employee referrals to the City's Police Academy;
· Addition of a Targeted Result requiring department managers to promote and implement the Equal Employment Opportunity Plan objectives;
· Developed a diversity awareness and sensitivity program for City employees with the assistance of the California Conference for Equality and Justice (formerly NCCJ); and,
· Developed a Recruitment, Hiring and Retention study to evaluate current recruitment, hiring and retention strategies.
Strategies for future recruitment, selection and professional development activities will continue to be guided by these recommendations.
Equal Employment Opportunity Plan 2007-2009
Attached for City Council review and adoption is the EEOP 2007-2009 (See Exhibit A). The EEOP establishes responsibility and accountability for the City's Equal Employment Opportunity Program. It analyzes the City's work force, identifies areas of underrepresentation, and establishes objectives to address under-utilization to achieve a work force that is comparable to the relevant labor market.
The Department of Human Resources, in conjunction with other City departments, identified the roles and responsibilities required to ensure full support and cooperation in following both the spirit and intent of the EEOP.
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney, Christina Checel on June 20, 2008 and Budget Management Officer, Victoria Bell, on June 20,2008.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action on this matter is not time critical.
FISCAL IMPACT
None.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
BODY
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LONG BEACH ADOPTING AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY PLAN FOR 2007-2009
Respectfully Submitted,
Suzanne R. Maseon
Director of Human Resources
NAME |
APPROVED: |
TITLE |
|
|
|
|
PATRICK H. WEST |
|
CITY MANAGER |