Robert

By Robert Kaufman

Henry Cohen and June Cotton; Co-chairpersons of the Labor and Industry Committee and members of the NAACP Executive Committee, Robert Kaufman, Member of the executive committee

The Labor and Industry Committee does what? ? ?

The Labor and Industry Committee has a broad title, which might raise questions in the minds of newcomers to the Branch. What would such a committee do within the NAACP?

The committee responds to complaints of illegal discrimination and other types of workplace unfairness in Southwest Michigan. Each case begins with an interview involving the complainant and some committee members.  This sets in motion a formal investigation including witness interviews and a meeting with the employer[1].

The co-chairs of the nine-person Labor and Industry Committee are June Cotton and Henry Cohen; both are members of the NAACP Executive Committee and have considerable experience in this area. Other committee members have broad experience in the areas of the work place and civil rights.[2]

In addition the Committee has some additional functions:

(1)     Assisting employers in recruiting minority candidates for job openings and publicizing those job openings to minorities.

(2) Periodic meetings with local municipalities, counties, school   systems and private employers in order to monitor minority women’s and disabled person’s representation in the work force.

Each member volunteers her/his services. This is truly a committed team devoted to the elimination or remediation of workplace unfairness.

This service is available to all minorities through the Kalamazoo Branch of the NAACP, Post Office Box 51473 Kalamazoo MI 449005-1473. The Branch Phone is 269.343.4105.

The civil rights laws and the NAACP

Labor and Industry procedure

The NAACP has developed a procedure to deal with complaints of workplace unfairness. The purpose of the NAACP is to apply the civil rights laws and curtail discrimination. Currently, those procedures are spelled-out in seventeen-step document and three forms.[3]

The procedure provides the following advantages to the complainants:

(1)         Complainants are first interviewed by friendly and knowledgeable NAACP civil rights specialists and

(2)         In the process the complainants approve each step taken by the committee.

Each month, the Labor and Industry Committee, submits a written report to the Executive Committee and to the general membership. These reports contain brief summaries of each case and note the outcome in each instance. The names of complainants remain confidential.

Some cases vindicate the complainant; other cases find the complainant at fault.  And there are variations on each theme.  However, the Committee’s work ends with the completion of the investigation. At that point, the committee may offer a suggestion to the complainant on possible next moves. It is the committee’s strict policy never to offer legal advice.

In the case of an apparent violation of law by employer the complainant must take the initiative to press the case by engaging a lawyer or taking the complaint to an appropriate governmental agency.

Exploring the policies of employers

In addition to its case work, the Labor and Industry Committee tracts employment of minorities and women through the quarterly reports issued by municipalities and counties, as required by law. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) publishes these data.

The list below is based on an EEOC report[4] for the City of Kalamazoo. The following statements were taken from the Labor and Industry Committee comments.

1. In seven classifications of administration, minorities  “were well represented.”

2. However, minorities “were underrepresented” in four other classes; science, technology, skilled crafts and management.

3. Women were “well represented in four classifications.” These were; professionals, science, information technology and administrative support. But they were “underrepresented in seven other categories.”  Women make up about 30% of the city’s work force.

Additional work of the committee

The co-chairs of the Committee met earlier this year with a “Workers Rights Organizer” of the Michigan Organizing Project (MOP). Following a review of the group’s program the B&I Committee agreed to collaborate with the MOP on its investigation of a Kalamazoo company’s abusive and illegal treatment of its employees. The MOP is primarily concerned with Hispanic Americans many of whom are recent immigrants.

President Charles Warfield and co-chair, Cohen, met in October with A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI). For the 2012 Elections, the Institute’s main focus will be voter registration and get-out-the-vote. The NAACP representatives “urged closer cooperation between our two organizations where our aims are the same.”

The co-chairs of the committee attended a conference sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union entitled “Keep Kids Where They Belong: Learning in Safe Schools.  We Can Keep Kids Out of the School-to-Prison Pipeline!”

The critical issues addressed included:

1.    “Some public schools (have) excessively punitive reactions to certain student behavior,” There is a “lack of due process in some schools’ disciplinary procedures” and

2.    Disproportionate numbers of African-American, Hispanic and disabled youths (are) being suspended and expelled from schools.

All of these points suggest, that schools use more discretion in setting rules as well as in their execution against minority students.

Seeking jobs for minorities

Each monthly report from the Labor and Industry Committee contains a section that lists job vacancies available in southwest Michigan.  In June 2011 the list contained eight employers and identified more than 19 positions ranging from common labor to executive positions.

Conclusion. The day-by-day work of the Labor and Industry Committee provides the NAACP a valuable index to the extent of illegal discrimination and many other work-related issues in the community.

The Committee also participates in public and private work related events meetings. These contacts permit the NAACP Committee to stay informed on the thinking and actions inside the community while continuing its work to reduce discrimination and promote equity in society.

Copyright 2011 by Robert W. Kaufman.  All Rights Reserved. Prepared Dec. 3, 2011.  1033 words.

[2] The other members are Tim Baker, Fred Blackwell, Betty Cohen, John Johnson, Fred Myles, Shirley White and John Zackery.

[3] The information release form signed by the complainant gives NAACP permission to access his/her personal file. Also, in the same document the complainant gives management permission to “disclose in good faith any reasonable and necessary information” about the complaint and to discuss it with representatives of the NAACP. The two other forms include a complaint form and a promise of confidentiality form given to witnesses.

[4] This information is based on EEOC data issued for the third quarter 2011.