[Adopted 3-14-1989 by Ord. No. 16-1989]
The City of Cohoes, as evidence of its intent
to comply with basic policies and procedures necessary for effective
uniform and judicious enforcement of equal opportunity standards,
does hereby adopt an Affirmative Action Policy.
[Amended 3-22-2011 by Ord. No. 3-2011]
A.
Affirmative
action programs are the creation of action-oriented initiatives that
will assure, to the maximum extent possible, the same placement, training,
promotion and salary opportunities to all segments of the community.
Employment and contracting opportunities shall be provided to all
applicants, employees, contractors and vendors, based solely on individual
merit and fitness, without regard to race, color, national origin,
religion, sex, age, handicap, disability, sexual preference, Vietnam-era
veteran status or political affiliation in accordance with all applicable
federal, state and local laws.
B.
The City
of Cohoes believes that the best interest of the community and the
City government will be served by full compliance with the spirit
and the letter of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Employment
Opportunity Act of 1972, the President’s Executive Order No.
11246, as amended, and other federal and state legislative and judicial
rulings. To this end the City’s affirmative action program establishes
the employment practices, policies, procedures and environment consistent
with providing equal employment opportunity to all persons regardless
of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, handicap, disability,
sexual preference, Vietnam-era veteran status or political affiliation.
C.
It shall
be the policy of the City of Cohoes, in accordance with federal, state
and local laws and ordinances to require the submission of an affirmative
action plan acceptable under those federal, state and local laws and
ordinances prior to the award of contracts to all contractors, subcontractors,
vendors, suppliers, consultants, grant recipients, developers, redevelopers
and all other persons who do business with the City.
[Amended 3-22-2011 by Ord. No. 3-2011]
A.
The Mayor
of the City of Cohoes and the City Council are bound by the provisions
of the various Civil Rights Acts and Executive Orders to make personnel
and contracting decisions without regard to race, color, religion,
sex, national origin, age, handicap, disability, sexual preference
or Vietnam-era veteran status.
B.
The Mayor
of the City of Cohoes shall be responsible for the implementation
of the City’s affirmative action program.
C.
The Mayor
of the City of Cohoes shall designate an equal employment opportunity
(EEO) officer who will be responsible to the Mayor for administering
the City’s affirmative action program. The officer shall be
furnished with the official, organizational and financial resources
necessary to effectively fulfill his or her duties and responsibilities.
D.
The EEO
officer shall report directly to the Mayor of the City of Cohoes or
the designee of the Mayor.
E.
The EEO
officer, in concert with the department directors, bureau heads, supervisory
personnel, the various advisory boards and other City agencies, shall
communicate the various provisions of the affirmative action program
to the City work force and to the general public.
The EEO officer shall:
A.
Head the affirmative action/equal opportunity program
within the office of the Mayor of the City of Cohoes.
B.
Have sufficient education and/or sufficient experience
in personnel management and intergroup relations and an understanding
of minority issues.
C.
Be responsible for managing and administering the
City affirmative action plan. Those responsibilities shall include,
but not be limited to:
(1)
Preparing and continuously maintaining up-to-date
data on the City of Cohoes work force. This data should be organized
by function, salary, job categories, race, national origin and sex
for full-time and part-time employees and new hires.
(2)
Assisting employees in preparing for promotional opportunities.
(3)
Developing training programs to assist candidates
preparing for Civil Service examinations.
(4)
Furnishing periodic reports to the federal, state
and local government and to the people of the City of Cohoes on the
progress in meeting affirmative action goals.
(5)
Providing City department directors, bureau heads,
supervisory personnel and the chairmen and heads of various boards
and agencies, training, counseling and guidance to meet City affirmative
action goals.
(6)
Assisting contractors and subcontractors in complying
with required regulations.
(7)
Developing a pool of qualified minority and women
candidates by promoting the city's affirmative action program through
civic groups, neighborhood organization, the news media, educational
institutions and other public forums in coordinated recruitment efforts
with the Department of Civil Service.
(8)
Receiving input from sources as noted above on a continuing
basis. A forum shall be held periodically for citizens and employees
to raise questions concerning equal employment opportunity and the
affirmative action policy.
(9)
Conducting an annual audit and evaluation of the city's
affirmative action program and submit same to the Mayor and agency
department heads.
(10)
Receiving complaints of discrimination from aggrieved
employees and candidate for employment and to attempting to resolve
complaints prior to a formal hearing process.
The City shall employ practices to ensure the
participation of minority- and women-owned business in all aspects
of City contractual agreements. These practices shall be consistent
with federal and state laws and directives. The EEO officer shall
participate in the identification of potential vendors and monitor
contract compliance.
The Mayor shall ensure that the city's policy
is effectively communicated to the work force and the community. Implementation
of this objective shall be carried forth by the Affirmative Action
office.
The EEO officer shall participate in a comprehensive
recruitment program to meet the employment goals of this plan. Special
efforts shall be made to recruit females and minorities for those
job categories in which they are under-utilized.
A.
It shall be the policy of the City to ensure widespread
prior announcement of Civil Service examinations as far in advance
as possible. The City shall take affirmative action to ensure that
announcements reach minority and female prospective applicants. Announcements
shall be sent to various media, including but not limited to the local
newspaper, radio, minority community and civic organizations, churches
and responsible community individuals.
B.
The equal employment officer or the personnel staff
shall work in conjunction with state and local civil service officials
to review examinations and their results for indications of cultural
bias in examination procedures.
C.
Procedures for promotional examinations and selection
will be reviewed to determine whether minority groups and women are
adversely affected. Revisions will be recommended as necessary.
It is the policy of the City of Cohoes to provide
the maximum opportunity to its employees to gain promotions and to
move up to higher-paying and more responsible positions. The City
shall apprise all its employees of promotional opportunities and assist
them in preparing for these higher positions with training programs,
the tuition assistance program and the development of a policy regarding
educational leave. In addition, information shall be provided on other
training resources available in the community.
A.
The City government shall put forth a good-faith effort
towards the implementation of equal employment opportunity principles
through the establishment of measurable employment goals.
B.
The annual City EEO-4 report shall provide the basis
for the development of a relevant and achievable affirmative action
plan which shall incorporate a variety of activities which will promote
the best and most practical means to increase the number of minority
and female employees represented.
[Added 3-22-2011 by Ord. No. 3-2011]
The City shall employ practices to ensure compliance with Section
3 of the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Act of 1968. The EEO
officer shall participate in the identification of potential employment
and other economic opportunities generated by HUD assistance or HUD-assisted
projects that are covered by Section 3 of the Housing and Urban Development
Act of 1968.
