Affirmative action policies have recently been watered down by court decisions at the federal level. Were the City of Boston to be forced to dismantle affirmative action policies as a result, what are three steps you would take to ensure and increase access to opportunities within city government agencies? What are some creative policies other than affirmative action that the city could implement that would support and retain diversity within its workforce?
Mayoral Candidate Responses
Michael Flaherty
Fortunately, our city has the “Boston Residents Jobs Policy” (BRJP) on the books, which stipulates local hiring requirements for resident, minority and female workers in the construction industry. Unfortunately, we have inexcusable, abysmal compliance rates. That’s why I have repeatedly called on the city and the BRA to adopt strategies that will achieve and surpass the stipulated requirements. In fact, I believe that the emerging green jobs sector underscores the importance of figuring out how to make the BRJP work in the way it was intended so that residents, minorities and women are properly represented in today’s new workforce. As Mayor, I would improve recruitment efforts and hold oversight agencies accountable for compliance rates by requiring that the compliance rates for each project be regularly posted online, which would then inform community-based job placement organizations about where they should be targeting their placement efforts for minority and female workers.
Thomas Menino
The City has worked diligently for a number of years since challenges were first brought to affirmative action programs in the Richmond case , the key factor being the documentation of information as to the need for such programs. We will continue to stay in top of these developments and stay ahead of the curve on this.
The City has a more diverse workforce than ever, reflecting the changing population of our community. The McCormack Institute at UMass-Boston recently documented that Boston is one of the few cities in the country that can say this. But we will not rest, and we will continue to reach out to ensure that the city workforce “looks like Boston”.
At-Large City Council Candidate Responses
Felix Arroyo
- Improve public education. Boston’s public schools are overwhelmingly attended by young people of color. In order for them to succeed in any chosen field, they need the quality education that is the foundation of any pursuit.
- Creative advertising of civil service opportunities. As someone who has done extensive work in Boston’s communities of color, I would argue that there are better ways to advertise openings at government agencies than the ones that are typically used.
- Address leadership disparities. One way to retain diversity in the workforce in the absence of affirmative action policies is to give employees of color equal access to promotions and leadership opportunities. There is evidence that this isn’t happening consistently in Boston’s government and civil service agencies.
John Connolly
A diverse workforce is a better workforce. It is in the best interest of the city and its citizens to recruit and maintain workers from all backgrounds and all neighborhoods. The following are some creative ideas to promote and sustain diversity in our workforce:
- Actively recruit potential city employees from the non-profit sector and from community organizations, which tend to be more diverse and often have vast experience working on issues of great importance to the city.
- Establish hiring targets by neighborhood to ensure that each neighborhood in the city is adequately represented within our workforce.
- Convene job fairs and aggressively recruit at our public high schools and community colleges, which reflect the great diversity of the city. Moreover, such efforts will provide career opportunities for students who may not have the opportunity to pursue a degree at a four-year college.
Tomás Gonzalez
The City of Boston should develop a new employment program for BPS juniors and seniors. This would take the form of a Mayor’s Youth Council, which would devise a clear career path for these students from entry-level jobs such as administrative work to more sophisticated employment opportunities in information technology and research. These would be ideal places for students to learn and gain real work experience but more importantly provide them with career options and the city with an integrated and diverse workforce.
Tito Jackson
As an employer, the City of Boston can provide great jobs by employing a diverse workforce. A diverse workforce is not only more likely to access the best talent available in the Boston community, but is also more likely to find innovative solutions to challenging problems. Despite possible restrictions imposed by the recent Supreme Court ruling, we must continue to work toward eliminating practices that have disparate impact for women and people of color.
While identified disparate impact for women and people of color may no longer be sufficient for taking direct remedial action against a given employment practice, transparent documentation of employment and promotion rates can still be an effective tool in improving the diversity of the City workforce. In addition to this, I would encourage the use of a wide set of evaluation tools in employment and promotion practices, including oral examinations, assessment centers, and prior performance appraisals.
Andrew Kenneally
One very promising alternative to affirmative action may be found in the model of Texas’s ten percent law. Following challenges to the University of Texas system’s affirmative action admissions policies, state lawmakers passed a law guaranteeing the opportunity of admission to all students in the top ten percent of their high school classes. A similar approach could be taken in the case of Boston’s workforce. Quotas could be put in place mandating that a certain percentage of employees in state agencies come from certain neighborhoods. A similar approach could be applied in the case of evaluating promotions in public agencies based on performance on civil service examinations. As well, as part of an initiative to consolidate job-training resources, I would work to create a system of community liaisons in city agencies whose mission would be to help develop professional and leadership skills in communities that have historically been underprivileged and underrepresented in public institutions.
Steve Murphy
I believe there are a plethora of opportunities within the City of Boston. In order to retain and add to our diversity is further job training. The majority of BPS students may be able to pass the MCAS but the students lack job skills. We need to implement a program that gives inner-city youth and opportunity to work (such as a co-op) with mentors in positions that they are interested in.
Ayanna Pressley
I believe it is essential that government reflects the people it serves and have worked personally to expand the pipeline of political talent in Boston to include more women and minority. I would urge increased support for mentoring programs which provide young people with the essential skills and support they need to succeed professionally. New programs could be created, partnering city agencies with Boston Public Schools, to provide students with the real world skills they need to be attractive job candidates, while also exposing students to public service career opportunities.