Every non-construction and construction Contract with, or on behalf of, the City of Los Angeles for which the consideration is $25,000 or more shall contain the following provisions which shall be designated as the AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PROGRAM provisions of such Contract:
A. During the performance of a City Contract, the Contractor certifies and represents that the Contractor and each Subcontractor hereunder will adhere to an Affirmative Action Program to ensure that in its employment practices, persons are employed and employees are treated equally and without regard to or because of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, domestic partner status or medical condition.
1. This section applies to work or services performed or materials manufactured or assembled in the United States.
2. Nothing in this section shall require or prohibit the establishment of new classifications of employees in any given craft, work or service category.
3. The Contractor shall post a copy of Paragraph A., hereof, in conspicuous places at its place of business available to employees and applicants for employment.
B. The Contractor shall, in all solicitations or advertisements for employees placed, by or on behalf of, the Contractor, state that all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, domestic partner status or medical condition.
C. At the request of the Awarding Authority or the DAA, the Contractor shall certify on an electronic or hard copy form to be supplied, that the Contractor has not discriminated in the performance of City Contracts against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis or because of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, domestic partner status or medical condition.
D. The Contractor shall permit access to, and may be required to provide certified copies of, all of its records pertaining to employment and to its employment practices by the Awarding Authority or the DAA for the purpose of investigation to ascertain compliance with the Affirmative Action Program provisions of City Contracts and, upon request, to provide evidence that it has or will comply therewith.
E. The failure of any Contractor to comply with the Affirmative Action Program provisions of City Contracts may be deemed to be a material breach of a City Contract. The failure shall only be established upon a finding to that effect by the Awarding Authority, on the basis of its own investigation or that of the DAA. No finding shall be made except upon a full and fair hearing after notice and an opportunity to be heard has been given to the Contractor.
F. Upon a finding duly made that the Contractor has breached the Affirmative Action Program provisions of a City Contract, the Contract may be forthwith cancelled, terminated or suspended, in whole or in part, by the Awarding Authority, and all monies due or to become due hereunder may be forwarded to and retained by the City of Los Angeles. In addition thereto, the breach may be the basis for a determination by the Awarding Authority or the Board of Public Works that the Contractor is a non-responsible bidder or proposer pursuant to the provisions of Section 10.40 of this Code. In the event of such determination, the Contractor shall be disqualified from being awarded a contract with the City of Los Angeles for a period of two years, or until he or she shall establish and carry out a program in conformance with the provisions hereof.
G. In the event of a finding by the Fair Employment and Housing Commission of the State of California, or the Board of Public Works of the City of Los Angeles, or any court of competent jurisdiction, that the Contractor has been guilty of a willful violation of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, or the Affirmative Action Program provisions of a City Contract, there may be deducted from the amount payable to the Contractor by the City of Los Angeles under the contract, a penalty of ten dollars for each person for each calendar day on which the person was discriminated against in violation of the provisions of a City Contract.
H. Notwithstanding any other provisions of a City Contract, the City of Los Angeles shall have any and all other remedies at law or in equity for any breach hereof.
I. The Public Works Board of Commissioners shall promulgate rules and regulations through the DAA and provide to the Awarding Authorities electronic and hard copy forms for the implementation of the Affirmative Action Program provisions of City contracts, and rules and regulations and forms shall, so far as practicable, be similar to those adopted in applicable Federal Executive Orders. No other rules, regulations or forms may be used by an Awarding Authority of the City to accomplish this contract compliance program.
J. Nothing contained in City Contracts shall be construed in any manner so as to require or permit any act which is prohibited by law.
K. By affixing its signature to a Contract that is subject to this article, the Contractor shall agree to adhere to the provisions in this article for the duration of the Contract. The Awarding Authority may also require Contractors and suppliers to take part in a pre-registration, pre-bid, pre-proposal, or pre-award conference in order to develop, improve or implement a qualifying Affirmative Action Program.
1. The Contractor certifies and agrees to immediately implement good faith effort measures to recruit and employ minority, women and other potential employees in a non-discriminatory manner including, but not limited to, the following actions as appropriate and available to the Contractor's field of work. The Contractor shall:
(a) Recruit and make efforts to obtain employees through:
(i) Advertising employment opportunities in minority and other community news media or other publications.
(ii) Notifying minority, women and other community organizations of employment opportunities.
(iii) Maintaining contact with schools with diverse populations of students to notify them of employment opportunities.
(iv) Encouraging existing employees, including minorities and women, to refer their friends and relatives.
(v) Promoting after school and vacation employment opportunities for minority, women and other youth.
(vi) Validating all job specifications, selection requirements, tests, etc.
(vii) Maintaining a file of the names and addresses of each worker referred to the Contractor and what action was taken concerning the worker.
(viii) Notifying the appropriate Awarding Authority and the DAA in writing when a union, with whom the Contractor has a collective bargaining agreement, has failed to refer a minority, woman or other worker.
(b) Continually evaluate personnel practices to assure that hiring, upgrading, promotions, transfers, demotions and layoffs are made in a non-discriminatory manner so as to achieve and maintain a diverse work force.
(c) Utilize training programs and assist minority, women and other employees in locating, qualifying for and engaging in the training programs to enhance their skills and advancement.
(d) Secure cooperation or compliance from the labor referral agency to the Contractor's contractual Affirmative Action Program obligations.
(e) Establish a person at the management level of the Contractor to be the Equal Employment Practices officer. Such individual shall have the authority to disseminate and enforce the Contractor's Equal Employment and Affirmative Action Program policies.
(f) Maintain records as are necessary to determine compliance with Equal Employment Practices and Affirmative Action Program obligations and make the records available to City, State and Federal authorities upon request.
(g) Establish written company policies, rules and procedures which shall be encompassed in a company-wide Affirmative Action Program for all its operations and Contracts. The policies shall be provided to all employees, Subcontractors, vendors, unions and all others with whom the Contractor may become involved in fulfilling any of its Contracts.
(h) Document its good faith efforts to correct any deficiencies when problems are experienced by the Contractor in complying with its obligations pursuant to this article. The Contractor shall state:
(i) What steps were taken, how and on what date.
(ii) To whom those efforts were directed.
(iii) The responses received, from whom and when.
(iv) What other steps were taken or will be taken to comply and when.
(v) Why the Contractor has been or will be unable to comply.
2. Every contract of $25,000 or more which may provide construction, demolition, renovation, conservation or major maintenance of any kind shall also comply with the requirements of Section 10.13 of the Los Angeles Administrative Code.
L. The Affirmative Action Program required to be submitted hereunder and the pre-registration, pre-bid, pre-proposal or pre-award conference which may be required by the Awarding Authority shall, without limitation as to the subject or nature of employment activity, be concerned with such employment practices as:
1. Apprenticeship where approved programs are functioning, and other on-the-job training for non-apprenticeable occupations;
2. Classroom preparation for the job when not apprenticeable;
3. Pre-apprenticeship education and preparation;
4. Upgrading training and opportunities;
5. Encouraging the use of Contractors, Subcontractors and suppliers of all racial and ethnic groups; provided, however, that any contract subject to this ordinance shall require the Contractor, Subcontractor or supplier to provide not less than the prevailing wage, working conditions and practices generally observed in private industries in the Contractor's, Subcontractor's or supplier's geographical area for such work;
6. The entry of qualified women, minority and all other journeymen into the industry; and
7. The provision of needed supplies or job conditions to permit persons with disabilities to be employed, and minimize the impact of any disability.
M. Any adjustments which may be made in the Contractor's work force to achieve the requirements of the City's Affirmative Action Program in purchasing and construction shall be accomplished by either an increase in the size of the work force or replacement of those employees who leave the work force by reason of resignation, retirement or death and not by termination, layoff, demotion or change in grade.
N. This ordinance shall not confer upon the City of Los Angeles or any Agency, Board or Commission thereof any power not otherwise provided by law to determine the legality of any existing collective bargaining agreement and shall have application only to discriminatory employment practices by Contractors engaged in the performance of City Contracts.
O. All Contractors subject to the provisions of this article shall include a similar provision in all subcontracts awarded for work to be performed under the Contract with the City and shall impose the same obligations including, but not limited to, filing and reporting obligations, on the Subcontractors as are applicable to the Contractor. Failure of the Contractor to comply with this requirement or to obtain the compliance of its Subcontractors with all such obligations shall subject the Contractor to the imposition of any and all sanctions allowed by law, including, but not limited to, termination of the Contractor's Contract with the City.
SECTION HISTORY
Amended by Ord. No. 147,030, Eff. 4-28-75; Subsecs. A., B., C., Ord. No. 164,516, Eff. 4-13-89; Subsecs. B. and C., Ord. No. 168,244, Eff. 10-18-92; Title and Section, Ord. No. 173,186, Eff. 5-22-00; Subsec. F., Ord. No. 173,285, Eff. 6-26-00, Oper. 7-1-00; In Entirety, Ord. No. 184,292, Eff. 6-27-16.