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HomeMy WebLinkAbout17-223RESOLUTION NO. 17-223 A RESOLUTION AMENDING RESOLUTION NO. 92-024, AS AMENDED, TO AMEND THE ST. LUCIE COUNTY EQUAL EMPLOYMENT PLAN AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners of St. Lucie County, Florida (the "Board"), has made the following determinations: 1. On February 11, 1992, the Board adopted Resolution No. 92-024 which provided for the adoption of an Affirmative Action Policy and Equal Employment Opportunity Plan (the "Plan") to be included in the County's 1992 grant application for Community Development Block Grant ("CDBG") funds. 2. On March 12, 1996, the Board adopted Resolution No. 96-56, updating the Plan in compliance with the Community Development Block Grant award for fiscal year 1996-95. 3. The Board has adhered to the Affirmative Action Policy and Equal Employment Opportunity Plan since its adoption and remains committed to hiring and employment practices which ensure that applicants and employees are employed, promoted, and compensated without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, or any circumstances other than merit and qualifications. 4. The Department of Economic Opportunity has awarded St. Lucie County a Community Development Block Grant for fiscal year 2016-17. 5. In conjunction with the 2016-17 CDBG award, the Department of Economic Opportunity has requested that the Board update its Affirmative Action Policy and Equal Employment Opportunity Plan. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of County Commissioners of St. Lucie County, Florida: 1. Resolution No. 92-024, as amended, is hereby amended by adoption of the attached St. Lucie County Equal Employment Opportunity Plan which shall supersede and replace the Affirmative Action Policy and Equal Employment Opportunity Plan. 2. This resolution shall take effect upon the date of its adoption. 1 Underlined words are added. StF Ck thFet�&4 words are deleted. After a motion and second, the vote on this Resolution was as follows: Chairman Chris Dzadovsky AYE Vice Chairman Tod Mowery AYE Commissioner Linda Bartz AYE Commissioner Frannie Hutchinson AYE Commissioner Cathy Townsend AYE PASSED AND DULY ADOPTED this 17TH day of October, 2017. ATTEST: Deputy Clerk 2 Underlined words are added. StFUCI(thFe gti words are deleted. BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ST. LUCIE COUNTY O BY: Chai(man APPROVED AS TO FORM AND CORRECTNESS: BY: )%-� -; � i� A_ County Attorney ST. LUCIE COUNTY EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY PLAN .f�uTiael •I 0130110/e1rL•L� PHYSICAL ADDRESS: MAILING ADDRESS: TELEPHONE NUMBER: CONTACT PERSON: TELEPHONE NUMBER: TDD NUMBER: Board of County Commissioners St. Lucie County, Florida 2300 Virginia Avenue Fort Pierce, FL 34982 Same (407) 462 1100 (772) 462-1783 PeFsen,.e4 Human Resources and Risk Manager (4107) 462 1546 (772) 462-1783 {40-74 772 462-1428 It is the policy of the St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners that personnel shall be employed, promoted, transferred, dismissed and compensated without regard to race, color, religion, political affiliation, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability or any circumstance other than merit and qualification. 3 Underlined words are added. Struck thFeu-g4 words are deleted. Signature of County Administrator Date: 1 Irl 11-J INTRODUCTION The St. Lucie County Employee Handbook states that the County shall not discriminate on account of race, sex, age, national origin, religion, disability, sexual prefeFeRee orientation, genetic information, or marital status with respect to recruiting, examination of applicants, the hiring of eligible, training, promotion, employee benefit programs, or in any personnel transactions affecting employees. The Equal Opportunity Employment Plan (the "Plan") for St. Lucie County is designed to assure equal access to all people for careers in public service. The aim of Plan is not to permit "reverse discrimination" in which the minority oppresses or obstructs the employment of the majority. Nor is the Plan conceived in the belief of coercion, fear or threats to conform to principles which are enshrined by law. However, it shall be the aim of the County through the Plan to aggressively recruit women, minority group members, and persons with disabilities in order to achieve a more reasonable and proportionate relationship between the residents of St. Lucie County and their representation in the labor force. The County will assist all employees in their efforts to fully actualize their individual capacities and abilities. The County Administrator, Directors, Managers, Coordinators, and Supervisors shall also support the career development of all employees. The Plan will provide the means for documenting the County's commitment to Equal Employment Opportunity and further provide a means for measuring the effectiveness of increasing minority participation in employment. It includes an outline of goals and objectives, assigns responsibility, and provides for an annual evaluation. The Plan is an integral part of the County's personnel management system and precludes preferential treatment or quota systems aimed toward arbitrary proportional representation or reduction in job-related qualifications solely to increase minority or female employment. The Plan is intended to support responsible officials making an objective analysis of all segments of the County's personnel system to insure that all personnel -related decisions are based solely on job-related factors and that al obstacles which may impede the progress of achieving equal employment opportunity are eliminated. The success or failure of the Plans depends upon the people involved: elected officials, department heads, first-line supervisors and the employees of the County. With an affirmative commitment from those involved, this Plan will result in an effective organization which is responsive to the needs of the citizens of St. Lucie County. 0 Underlined words are added. StFuck thFe*g4 words are deleted. POLICY STATEMENT St. Lucie County has proclaimed its commitment and adherence to a structured Plan designed to facilitate the implementation of the concepts and principles of equal employment opportunity. The Plan has been developed to provide a methodology or vehicle to accomplish the ideals of equal employment opportunity. It is intended that this Plan evolve in an arena of positive cooperation and active participation between management, employees and employee organization. St. Lucie County is firmly committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity and will administer its personnel policies and conduct its employment practices in a manner which treats each employee and applicant for employment on the basis of merit, experience and other work- related criteria without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, ancestry, e+ age, sexual orientation or genetic information. This Plan establishes goals which outline the County's good faith efforts in practicing equal employment opportunity. These goals will be reviewed periodically to measure the County's progress. St. Lucie County is committed to making a good faith effort to meet its goals within a specified time frame. St. Lucie County equal employment opportunity programs are monitored by the County's Personnel/Risk Manager. However, management personnel at every level must share in the responsibility for promoting equal opportunities to ensure the success implementation of the Plan. (�4 �Z71Z Chairman Board of County Commissioners my Administrator Underlined words are added. StFuek thFeu^" words are deleted. DISSEMINATION OF POLICY St. Lucie County recognizes the importance of communicating its equal employment opportunity policy and procedures to employees and prospective employees. To insure the dissemination of these policy, the County has taken or will take the following action: 1. Internal Dissemination a. Post throughout the departments written communication from the County Administrator emphasizing the County's commitment to equal employment opportunity. b. Post the Policy Statement on employee bulletin boards/employee work sites. c. Post the appropriate federal and state equal opportunity ("EEO") posters on employee bulletin boards. d. Emphasize the provisions of the Plan during training and orientation sessions. 2. External Disseminations a. Inform recruitment sources of this Plan and request that they recruit and refer prospective employees in a manner consistent with the Plan. b. Work with local organizations to assure that females, minorities, and persons with disabilities are aware of openings and are encouraged to submit application for County employment. These organizations include: I. Florida Department of Labor II. Treasure Coast Private Industry Council III. Local private and community colleges/universities IV. Social service organization serving persons with disabilities Underlined words are added. S 9+g4 words are deleted. c. Distribute job posting bulletins listing all current openings, job duties, qualifications and general information to community organization, churches and newspapers serving female, minorities and persons with disabilities. 7 Underlined words are added. Strunk thret+g4 words are deleted. RESPONSIBILITY FOR IMPLEMENTATION 1. Equal Employment Opportunity Administrator The °mel Human Resources and Risk Manager is hereby appointed Equal Employment Opportunity Administrator for St. Lucie County. In this capacity, he/she is responsible for the following: a. Develop policy statements, equal employment opportunity programs and both internal and external communication programs. b. Ensure the consistency and completeness of the Plan with federal, state and local agencies' rules and regulations. c. Assist managers in collecting and analyzing employment data, identifying problem areas, setting goals and timetables, and developing programs to achieve goals. d. Provide feedback to managers on their progress under the Plan. e. Design, implement and monitor internal audit and reporting systems to measure the Plan's effectiveness and to determine where progress has been made and where further action is needed. f. Ensure that action is initiated to remedy areas of underutilization. g. Serve as a liaison between the County's government regulatory agencies, minority and women's organizations, and organizations serving women, minorities and persons with disabilities. h. Ensure that current legal information affecting equal employment opportunity is disseminated to appropriate personnel. 2. Managers and Supervisors Managers and supervisors bear significant responsibility for decisions which will affect the County's progress toward achieving equal employment opportunity goals. These responsibilities include: a. Assist in identifying problem areas. Underlined words are added. Stru .k +"r^,.^" words are deleted. b. Cooperate with local minority and community service programs designed to promote equal employment opportunity. c. Review qualifications of all employees seeking transfers and/or promotions to ensure minorities, women and persons with disabilities are given full opportunity in such instances. d. Take action to prevent harassment of employees. e. Support career counseling for all staff members. f. Ensure that posters and notices are properly displayed. g. Ensure that female and minority employees and employees with disabilities are afforded full employment opportunities as are encouraged to participate in all County -sponsored education, training and social activities. h. Ensure that their departments comply fully with the spirit and policies of this Plan. Z Underlined words are added. StFUGI( thFGU^" words are deleted. GOALS AND EXECUTION OF THE PLAN St. Lucie County hereby establishes a goal, a workforce in which the number of minority employees is equal to the percentage of such minorities in St. Lucie County as determined by the most recent decennial census. An employee will be considered to be a minority if he or she is a member of one of the following groups: 1. "Black", which includes persons having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa; 2. "Hispanic", which includes person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Spanish or Portuguese culture or origin, regardless of race; 3. "Native Americans", which includes persons who are American Indians, Eskimos, Aleuts, or Native Hawaiians; 4. "Asian -Pacific", which includes persons whose origins are from Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Trust Territories of the Pacifica and the Northern Marianas; 5. "Asian -Indian", which includes persons whose origins are from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The following programs have been designed to meet the goal of the Plan: 1. A list of community employment agencies providing referral services to minorities, women and persons with disabilities will be developed and distributed to all departments within the County for recruitment purposes. 2. The County will continue to advertise employment opportunities in area newspapers, whose readership includes local communities. All recruitment advertisements will continue to state that the County is an "Equal Opportunity Employer." 3. Training and orientation sessions will be held with management and supervisory personnel regarding their role in ensuring the fulfillment of the Plan. 10 Underlined words are added. -Q-rue oug-4 words are deleted. SUPPORT OF COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAMS Recognizing its role as an employer in this community, St. Lucie County actively seeks to support community action programs designed to improve job skills and/or employment opportunities for minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. Where possible, employment representatives will participate in job fairs targeting women, minorities and persons with disabilities. St. Lucie County will consider qualified women, minorities, and persons with disabilities not currently in the workforce, who can be recruited through affirmative outreach efforts, as representing a potentially valuable source for its workforce. 11 Underlined words are added. S*.,".k *"r^^" words are deleted. COMPLIANCE WITH SEX DISCRIMINATION GUIDELINES St. Lucie County seeks to comply with all state and federal laws regarding nondiscrimination. The County reaffirms its commitment to give attention to the special concerns associated with equal treatment on the basis of sex: 1. Applicant of all sexes will be sought for all vacancies unless sex is a bona fide occupational qualification. 2. The County's policy ensures that women are treated equally with men in all aspects of employment. All written personnel policies and job practices related to opportunities, pay rates, hours or other working conditions will state that no employee will be discriminated against based on sex. Similarly, no distinction will be made between married and unmarried persons based upon the person's sex. 3. All employees will be paid and promoted on the basis of the job-related skill, education effort and responsibility required, as well as the working conditions, competitive market forces and performance factors. Sex will not be considered in pay and promotion decisions. 4. St. Lucie County will not discriminate against employees on the basis of pregnancy or related medical condition. 5. St. Lucie County prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, including sexual harassment. The County will make every effort to see that this policy is communicated to supervisors and employees and that it is property enforced. 12 Underlined words are added. StFUCI( t49t g words are deleted. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY PLAN FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES A. St. Lucie County supports community programs designed to provide employment opportunities for the persons with disabilities. Recognizing that individuals with disabilities are a valuable human resource, the County has formalized its support of these programs by implementing an Equal Employment Opportunity Plan for the employment and advancement of qualified individuals with disabilities. B. The law defines a person with a disability as any person who (1) has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more of such person's major life activities, (2) has a record of such impairment, or (3) is regarded as having such an impairment. For purposes of this part, a handicapped individual is "substantially limited" if he or she is likely to experience difficulty in securing, retaining or advancing in employment because of a disability. The terms "handicapped" and "person with a disability" are intended to have the same meaning under this Plan. C. Consideration of Qualifications 1. All applicants applying for employment with the County are invited to voluntarily identify themselves as having a disability and indicate any reasonable accommodation that can be made to enable them to perform a job that they would not otherwise be able to do. 2. If an applicant or employee with a disability is not selected for employment, promotion or training, the reason for the non -selection shall documented and maintained in the personnel file, with the application. 3. Whenever an accommodation is made for the hire, promotion or training of an individual with a disability, a description of the accommodation shall be documented and kept with the personnel file, or with the application. D. Physical and Mental Requirements 1. Selection processes involved in hiring, promotions and training opportunities shall be reviewed annually to ensure that no qualified individual with a disability is screened out of the selection process. 13 Underlined words are added. Strunk *-.hre ^" words are deleted. 2. Job requirements shall be reviewed and updated periodically to ensure that they are appropriate for the position and do not contain unnecessary qualifications which serve to screen out individuals with disabilities. E. Accommodations to Physical and Mental Limitations of Employees 1. St. Lucie County will try to reasonably accommodate the physical and mental limitations of qualified applicants or employees with disabilities so as to ensure that each one is afforded equal opportunity for employment and advancement. 2. In determining the degree of accommodations that may be reasonably undertaken, business necessity and expenses will be considered with such other relation factors as: efficiency, health and safety, the essential functions of each specific job, etc. Each decision regarding accommodations will be determined on an individual basis. F. Compensation When offering employment or promotion to a qualified person with a disability, the County will not consider disability income, pension income, or other benefits received by the applicant or employee as relevant to determination of his/her salary. G. Outreach and Positive Recruitment 1. The County will work with local recruiting sources and special service agencies to ensure that individuals with disabilities are aware of openings and are submitting applications. These agencies include: a. State Employment Department b. Social Service Agencies 2. All County interviewers decisions will be given disabilities. Underlined words are added. StFU6!( thFGUg4 words are deleted. and supervisors responsible for employment special training for interviewing persons with 14 DEVELOPMENT AND EXECUTION OF EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY PROGRAMS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES The following programs have been designed to meet the County's affirmative action/equal employment opportunity goals for persons with disabilities. 1. At least annually review all aspects of selection, training and promotion to ensure freedom from stereotyping persons with disabilities which limit their access to jobs for which they are qualified. 2. Inform schools from which the County recruits of its commitment to employ qualified persons with disabilities. 3. Encourage employees with disabilities to participate in community -sponsored programs designed to provide career -related information. 15 Underlined words are added. StFUCk thFe R" words are deleted.