Chicago, IL
In the last year, affirmative action has come under ferocious attack. It has been undermined and its scope has been limited by a series of court decisions. Republican presidential candidates who once supported affirmative action now switch positions to curry favor with their party's right wing.
This is tragic precisely because the need for affirmative action is still great. Our society puts a high value on equal opportunity. Yet the unemployment rate for African-Americans
remains about twice that for whites; women still make only 72 percent as much as men; and last year, the federal government received more than 90,000 complaints of employment discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or gender.
There is no policy or program that can make a long historical legacy of discrimination disappear overnight. But there is much evidence that affirmative action is one of the most effective, equitable ways to ensure that minorities and women have a fair chance.
The military's approach, which provides a large pool of qualified candidates for every promotion, gives us the world's most diverse, best qualified military leadership. The Education Department's programs targeted at minorities, costing only about 40
cents for every $1,000 of student aid, have been a ladder upwards for countless youths. And the goals and timetables for federal contractors, first implemented in the Nixon Administration, have substantially reduced discrimination and fostered fairness.
The AFL-CIO Executive Council believes that affirmative action should continue as long as women and minorities suffer unfair disadvantage in the workplace and throughout society. On July 19, President Clinton pointed out that affirmative action "has been good for America." He added that "affirmative action should be retired when its job is done -- and I am resolved that day will come. But the job is not done."
The Executive Council applauds the President for his strong, principled defense of affirmative action; we are encouraged by his presidential directive to reform its application in federal agencies; and we wholly agree with him that despite the hostile court rulings and the political opportunism of some, the job of affirmative action is indeed not yet done.