(A) Civil Rights Law. Pursuant to the Civil Rights Law of the state, the county affirms it is committed to the policy of assuring all individuals the right to equal opportunities in all of its activities. Activities will be conducted without regard to an individual’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status or disability. The county remains committed to the constitutional rights of all persons to compete on an equal basis for employment and advancement opportunities.
(B) Responsibility. The county assumes responsibility for developing, implementing and enforcing an affirmative action plan. In the pursuit of equal employment opportunity, the county pledges to take the following actions:
(1) To ensure that recruitment, appointment, development and promotions for all positions are based only on relevant job related factors without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status or disability;
(2) To ensure that all personnel decisions and activities such as evaluations, terminations, layoffs and benefits are administered in accordance with equal opportunity principles;
(3) To determine the extent to which minorities and other affected class members are underutilized in the workforce and identifying and eliminating specific causes of under-utilization;
(4) To develop and maintain pools of affected class applicants through an active recruitment program; and
(5) To establish a structured monitoring system which ensures effective implementation of the affirmative action plan.
(C) Positive action. The county realizes that affirmative action means positive action to utilize the county’s reservoir of untapped human resources and skills among the protected classes. The county will strive to make its personnel system free of barriers to equal employment opportunity and supports the belief the equal opportunity principles are conducive to effective management and agency operation.
(D) Laws. The county will comply with all federal, state and local law relating to equal employment opportunity (EEO), affirmative action and non-discrimination in public services. These laws include:
(1) Titles VI and VII, Civil Rights Act of 1964, being 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000e et seq., as amended;
(2) Executive order 11246, as amended;
(3) Revised order #4;
(4) The Equal Pay Act of 1963, being 29 U.S.C. § 206(d);
(5) Indiana Civil Rights Law, being I.C. 22-9-1-1 et seq.;
(6) Age Discrimination Act, being 92 U.S.C. §§ 621 et seq.; and
(7) Rehabilitation Act of 1973, being 29 U.S.C. §§ 791 et seq.
(E) Affirmative action expediter. The county maintains on staff an individual who is delegated the responsibility for coordinating the affirmative action activities. The expediter reports directly to the Commissioners and is given the necessary cooperation and resources to carry out the responsibilities of the job.
(1) The designated AAE for this agency is: David P. Varble, Jr. 222 E. Court Avenue Jeffersonville, Indiana 47130; (812) 282-7420.
(2) Specific duties of the affirmative action expediter include, but are not limited to:
(a) Developing the written affirmative action plan for the appointing authority’s approval;
(b) Serving as the liaison with the state affirmative action office in the design, implementation and monitoring of the county’s affirmative action program;
(c) Assisting in the design and implementation of internal agency audit and report procedures that will measure the effectiveness of the county’s affirmative action program, indicate the need for remedial action and determine the extent to which the county’s goals and objectives have been attained;
(d) Keeping the appointing authority informed of the latest developments in the area of equal employment opportunity;
(e) Coordinating efforts of the offices within the county to effectively reach all employees with information on affirmative action;
(f) Maintaining files on affirmative action related material in order to assure documentation of good faith efforts in this area;
(g) Serving as liaison between the county and organizations representing the affected class members in order to develop and maintain an affected class recruitment network;
(h) Coordinating the county’s disabled program;
(i) Assisting with the development and implementation of training in the area of affirmative action as needed; and
(j) Assisting the county, office holders and employees, at all levels, in identifying and arriving at solutions to problems of equal employment opportunity, including formal complaint resolution.
(F) Affirmative Action Committee. The duties of the Committee are:
(1) Assisting the affirmative action expediter in the development of the county’s affirmative action plan;
(2) Monitoring on an on going basis, the effectiveness of the implementation of the plan in the county;
(3) Assisting the affirmative action expediter in the dissemination of information related to affirmative action;
(4) Assisting in the recruitment efforts directed toward qualified members of affected classes; and
(5) Assisting in the identification of possible discrimination within the county and developing procedures for eliminating such discrimination.
(G) Dissemination.
(1) Internal.
(a) A copy of the affirmative action plan will be provided to:
1. Board of County Com-missioners;
2. County Council;
3. All elected officials;
4. The affirmative action expediter/personnel officer; and
5. The Affirmative Action Committee.
(b) Elected office holders will disseminate a copy to their subordinates to read. A sheet will be provided so that employees may sign it as acknowledgment that they have read this plan.
(c) Discussion of the affirmative action plan and all personnel policies will be included in new employee orientation.
(d) Copies of the plan will be available from the office of the County Auditor free of charge.
(2) External.
(a) A copy of the plan will be made available to the public upon request.
(b) The words “equal opportunity employer” shall appear on all stationery, job announcements and advertisements.
(c) The county will forward a copy of the affirmative action policy statement to recruitment resources, upon request.
(H) Recruitment.
(1) Equal employment opportunity or affirmative action are widely misunderstood as concepts. They are frequently stigmatized as involving reverse discrimination, preferential treatment and the use of quotas. There is a widespread currency given to the notion that through affirmative action, special groups of people are perceived as receiving unfair and unjustified advantages in the job market (for example, minorities, women, older workers and disabled); and
(2) On the contrary, affirmative action is aimed at eliminating unfair barriers to employment. It entails going beyond the mere prohibition of discrimination, to actually ensure that seemingly neutral recruiting, training, hiring and promotion practices are not operating to the disadvantage of certain groups within the population. An effective affirmative action program should actually reinforce merit employment concepts by assuring that all segments of the society, not just some, have an opportunity to enter the public service on the basis of open competition and advance according to their relative ability.
(I) Training. Training for employees and supervisors often is essential to provide a climate of acceptance for an effective equal employment opportunity program. Training has become a necessary part of an employee’s total effort in achieving success of service to the public.
(1) There is a commitment to eliminate discrimination in employment and assure an equal opportunity to employment within each affirmative action plan, affirmative action training serves as one of the best tools to aid in fulfilling that goal. In fact, it is one of the best methods of communicating equal employment opportunity goals and suggesting positive steps to eliminate barriers in employment.
(2) Affirmative action is always changing in order to better meet the needs of employees. Effective training can provide a basic understanding of the laws which govern affirmative action and analyze equal employment problems within the agency.
(3) To supplement existing training, the county will:
(a) Train all levels of supervisors in their program responsibilities;
(b) Conduct orientation training for all new employees;
(c) Conduct affirmative action training for Committee members on an on going basis; and
(d) Evaluate all affirmative action related training programs on a yearly basis.
(Ord. 4-1986, passed 7-1-1986)