SF Human Rights Commission

• text only
• text

Employment Advisory Committee Meetings

EMPLOYMENT COMMITTEE

MINUTES

March 4, 2004

Members Present

Commissioner Larry Lee, Commissioner Vernon Grigg, Bridgett Brown, Leo Chyi, Rodney Hampton, Jerry Jones, Greg Marutani, Guillermo Romero, Norma Tecson, Len Vetrone, Stan Warren, and F. Ross Woodall.

Members Absent

Judy Starbuck Sorro

Staff Present

Linda Chin, Kabir Hypolite, Mary Gin Starkweather, Frank Anderson, Ed Campos, James Fields, Richard Norton, Mary Tramil

Guests

Mary Cocoma, Marketing Director, International Museum of Women
Rosario Navarette, Deputy Director, Department on the Status of Women
Flynn Bradley, SFO, and Sheree McLellan, Golden Gate University

Call to Order/ Roll Call

The meeting was called to order at 1:40p.m. by Commissioner Lee.  A quorum was present.

Adoption of Agenda

Jerry Jones moved to adopt the agenda.  Greg Marutani seconded and the motion was carried unanimously with no discussion.

Adoption of Minutes

Leo Chyi moved to adopt the minutes and Norma Tecson seconded. After discussion the section regarding the presentation on the Construction Vocational English Program at City College was amended to read, “The Committee members also stressed the great need in San Francisco for the continuation of the Construction Vocational English Program.  The committee may wish to further explore this issue.”  The amended minutes were unanimously adopted.

Report of the Chair 

Commissioner Lee reported that committee member Stan Warren and he made a presentation to SFUSD Superintendent Ackerman regarding the need to offer vocational classes to students as an alternative to college.  Superintendent Ackerman was receptive to their ideas.

Staff Report   

Mary Gin Starkweather stated that this is the first meeting of the new 2004 term of the Employment Committee and welcomed the two new members; Bridgette Brown of the Independent Living Resource Center and F. Ross Woodall.  Everyone present then introduced himself or herself.

New Business

1)         In honor of Women’s History Month there were two presentations:

An Overview of the International Museum of Women  - Presentation by Mary Cocoma, Marketing Director

Ms. Cocoma gave a detailed presentation on the past, present and future of the International Museum of Women (IMOW).

The IMOW is a world-class cultural and educational institution dedicated to honoring the lives of women worldwide. It plans to open in 2008 at Pier 26 in San Francisco. Founded in 1985, IMOW produces exhibits and events that engage people of all ages – provoking them to question the status quo through an examination of individual identity, cultural structures and social order.

The IMOW will be the first museum facility in the world dedicated to honoring the lives and history of women worldwide.  The Museum will feature innovative exhibits designed to educate the public about women’s history and contemporary issues, as well as provide both a physical and virtual gathering place for the international women’s community.

The goal of the IMOW is to improve awareness of women's roles and vital contributions, as well as the many challenges and barriers to freedom and equality that women face in our country and throughout the world.

Prior to its official opening, the Museum is sponsoring a series of programs and exhibits, including Celebrating Women opening October 4,2004 at One Market, San Francisco, CA.

For further information regarding the IMOW, please contact: Mary Cocoma at (415) 543-IMOW (4669) Ext. 14; email: <info@imow.org> and website: www.omow.org.

Presentation on the Department on the Status of Women – Rosario Navarette, Deputy Director

Ms. Navarette began her presentation with a short history of the department.  It was established in 1975 as the Commission on the Status of Women and was originally under the umbrella of the Human Rights Commission.  In 1979 it became autonomous and had 3 staff.  It has since become a chartered department with subpoena power.

Following are some of the goals and activities of the Department:

-Foster the advancement of the status of women and girls, particularly those issues that impact marginalized women and girls, both within City and County government and in the private sector.

-Promote access and develop policy within City and County government agencies, insuring equality for women and girls.  

-Advocate, monitor and propose legislation to improve the quality of women’s' and girls' lives.

-Promote programs that increase public awareness and understanding of violence against women. -Administer funds for the provision of emergency shelter for women and their children, and other support services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. 

-Monitor complaints of unlawful and unequal treatment of women. Promote public education and awareness to prevent sexual harassment and discrimination against women. 

-Provide technical assistance, information and referral to individuals, community organizations, businesses and government, related to women's and young women's rights and services. 

-Maintain an updated free Job Resource Library which is open to the public between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. 

-Work with community organizations and coalitions promoting issues which improve the quality of life for women and girls.

Some of the projects that the Department has recently completed are:

1. A Report on Girls on San Francisco – Benchmark for the Future

This is the first comprehensive report ever done which focuses solely on girls and gives hard statistical data as well as recommendations addressing the their unique needs in the following areas: Demographics, Economics, Education, Health, Safety and Violence, and Criminal Justice.

1. Justice and Courage: A Blueprint for San Francisco’s Response to Domestic Violence

In studies conducted since 1991, the number one cause of female homicides in San Francisco has been domestic violence.

In February of 2001, the Commission on the Status of Women and the Department convened a review team to assist in the investigation and analysis of the City's response to domestic and family violence.

The review team identified and recommended systemic solutions to the problems of domestic violence in the city by identifying gaps in services and barriers and developing recommendations to remove those barriers and gaps. The recommendations in the report focus on five primary areas: 1) development of an oversight body, 2) communication and coordination between departments and programs, 3) protocols and policies, 4) resources including personnel and training, and 5) data collection and management.  The Justice and Courage Oversight Project was developed to establish a seamless services delivery to those experiencing domestic violence, assuring that it is effective and efficient in its operation.

1. Campaign Against Violence against Women and Girls. 

The sexiest thing you can say to a woman is, "Is this okay with you?" is part of the trilingual "Respect is What's Sexy" ad campaign launched by the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women, a message.  That message, along with an image of an embracing couple, appears on billboards, Muni Metro, BART stations and bus shelters as well as men’s rooms in bars around San Francisco through April 2004.

1. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)

This is an international human rights treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979. Although 175 countries have ratified CEDAW, the United States has not.
CEDAW specifically mandates ending discrimination against women and girls in political and public life, status of nationality, education, employment, health care, financial endeavors, sports, cultural life, marriage and family relations. It recognizes the role of culture and tradition and aims for substantive gender equity.
In April 1998, San Francisco became the first city in this country to adopt an ordinance implementing CEDAW locally. It also established a Task Force, which works with the Commission on the Status of Women and City departments to identify discrimination against women and girls, and to implement human rights principles.

DOSW administers the funding for a number of non-profit agencies including the only non-profit sex/violence center, which provides advocacy, counseling, and 24 hour crises services in conjunction with the Police Department and SFGH Rape Treatment.

Dr. Tecson, Director of the Fil-Am Employment and Training Center stated that Filipina women are in great need of the kinds of services funded by DOSW.  Ms. Navarette invited Dr. Tecson to submit a proposal.

2)         Report on Employment of Minorities and Women on Airport Construction Projects Mary Tramil, HRC Contract Compliance Representative.

Nearly three years ago Airport Master Plan construction contract work was completed.   Immediately after September 11, 2001 the Airport discontinued planning many major projects, i.e., Airfield Development Program, Request for Qualifications (RFQ) Hotel Development, Architectural and Engineering (A&E) Renovation of Old International Terminal, Many other contracts were rescinded or modified and down sized.

The Airport implemented its Capital Financing and Debt Management Program which included several RFQs for Investment Banking and Related Services, Underwriters and Remarketing Agents, Airport Financial Advisor, Airport Management Consultant, various Airport internal and external audits, etc. During this period, Airport continued to bid small informal, as-needed, on-call construction contracts.  Many of these contracts were single trade repair contracts, i.e., Cooling Tower Repair, Parking Garage Office HVAC Repair, Terminal 1 West End Skylight and Roof Repair, Terminal 1 Canopy Improvement, Parking Lot DD Expansion Joint Repair, etc.

Not many of the contracts mentioned above contained multiple contracts of $50,000 or more.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funded contracts for Airport runway improvements have been the major contract awards. These contracts are heavy equipment and trucking intensive with limited trades in workforce.

The following contract represents a recent example of airport staff’s best effort and the contractor’s ability to achieve the City’s workforce goals for women and minorities.

Ms. Tramil explained that the contract was for building the conveyor belts upon which baggage is placed and run through the Explosive Detection System prior to placement on the plane.  Millwrights construct the conveyor belts, which are the main component of this job.

Airport Contract No. 8136. B Explosive Detection System

General Contractor: D.W. Nicholson Corporation

Award Amount $3, 156,200.00

Reporting Period: August 2002 through January 2004

Workforce Hours Reported 26,685

Percent of Completion 95%

Trade: Millwright Hours   Goal for Minorities 25% Goal for Women 10%

Contractor: D.W. Nicholson

Ethnicity/Gender       journey       apprentice         hours          percentage       

White                        7503.5         1601.5              9105.5              59%           

Black                           853           841.5                1694.5              11%   

Asian                         1780.5        151.5                1932                 12.6%        

Hispanic                     1025          171.5                1196.5              7.8%  

American/Indian          78                                                              78                total minority 31.4%

Female                       1084           230.5                1314.5            8.6%              total female 8.6%

                                                                             Total Hrs           15321

Trade: Electrical                     Goal for Minorities 46.4%          Goal for Women 10%

Contractor: Barri Electric

White                            7794.5      887.5           8,682.0             61.3%               total minority

Black                            1085.5                          1085.5              7.67%                    31.2%

Asian                            1812                             1812                 12.8%

Hispanic                        1064        467.5            1531.5                10.8%             total female

Female                         1034.5       1                  1035.5                7.3%                     7.3% 

                                                                        Total Hrs           14146  

Trade: Carpenters

Contractor: D.W. Nicholson     White                            3 hrs.

Laborers

Hispanic                        27

Trade Sprinkler Fitters

Contractor: COSCO Fire Protection

White                            141                   80                     221

Trade: Sheetmetal

Contractor: Redwood Mechanical

Hispanic                        53

If there are any questions please contact Mary Tramil at (650) 821-7723 or James Fields at (650) 821-7796.

Stan Warren wished to emphasize that many times minorities and women are “not available” to work on City projects.  This does not mean that they are idle: they are employed by contractors on private jobs.

Commissioner Lee wanted to ensure that all City contractors maintain an ethnically diverse workforce.

3)         Discussion for planning the process of developing the HRC Construction Program Employment Goals – Frank Anderson and James Fields, HRC Senior Contract Compliance Officers

Frank Anderson began the discussion by explaining that it was time to revise the goals for minority and women participation in the construction trades.  The HRC was established in 1964 and Chapter 12B, which mandated nondiscrimination in employment on City contracts was passed.  Its purpose was to integrate and accelerate the participation of minorities and women in the San Francisco workforce.  The lion’s share of City contract dollars is in construction projects and goals for participation are set every ten years based on the census.  This will be the fourth time that HRC has undertaken this task.

The project entails major research and analysis.  Former Committee members John Scott and Richey Rice-Gore had previously worked on the project.

A Working Group will be formed, comprised of 3 Committee members and three HRC staff.  The staff will be Frank Anderson, Ed Campos and James Fields.  The tasks will include collecting, compiling and analyzing data and making recommendations to the Commission and the Board of Supervisors.  The HRC has authority to set the goals for minorities and women; however, since the City also has an ordinance requiring residency goals, the Group will make recommendations regarding residency to the Board of Supervisors via the Employment Committee to the Human Rights Commission.

In addition to hard data collection and analysis, the Group will also need to conduct three public hearing and speak with contractors.  We will also need the involvement of the MWBE Committee and the Commission on the Status of Women.  The previous projects took nearly one year to complete.  Our previous programs have withstood the test of time.  The program prevailed in it s only legal challenge from the Fisherman’s Wharf Restaurants.

A work plan and schedule will be prepared in the next 30 days.  At the next meeting Frank Anderson will lead a discussion on residency requirements.

Committee members interested in volunteering to serve on this Group should call Ed Campos at (415) 554–8359.  Mr. Campos will be coordinating the Group.

Old Business

None

Public Comment

None

Announcements

Mary Gin Starkweather announced that on Sunday, March 28, 2004, there will be a Cesar E. Chavez Holiday Parade and Festival.  On Wednesday, March 31, 2004, 8:00 - 10:00 a.m. there will be a Cesar E. Chavez Holiday Birthday Breakfast Celebration.  Call (415) 621-2665 for information.

Adjournment

Greg Marutani moved that the meeting be adjourned. Leo Chyi seconded the motion.  The vote was unanimous and the meeting was adjourned at 3:40p.m.

Next Meeting

Thursday, April 1, 2004
1:30pm to 3:30pm
25 Van Ness Avenue, 8^th Floor
San Francisco, CA.  94102