News Releases
Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 3, 1998
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Locke, business and education leaders call for passage of affirmative action legislation

OLYMPIA - Gov. Gary Locke was joined by top business leaders and education officials in a show of support for affirmative action legislation currently before the Legislature. Locke and the public and private sector leaders urged the House and Senate to enact a measure that clearly bans quotas and the hiring and admission of unqualified applicants. The measure, which has been introduced in both the state Senate as Senate Bill 6689 and the House as House Bill 3130, would not prohibit affirmative action.

"This legislation ensures equal opportunity in public employment, education and contracting and prohibits discrimination based on race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin," Locke said. "Under this proposal, no unqualified people will be hired by the state or admitted to our colleges and universities and quotas will be absolutely prohibited."

Business leaders voiced strong support for the measure. "We have given this issue careful thought at Boeing and are choosing, along with other leaders from business and education groups, to support this legislation," said Boeing Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Phil Condit. "Boeing maintains an aggressive program to involve local businesses in our work, and many of them got their start working on contracts as part of women- and minority-owned business programs maintained by state and local governments," Condit added.

Equally important, Condit said, is Boeing concern for current outreach programs that Washington state operates to encourage all young people to attend college. "We are committed to improving our diversity," Condit said. "It would be tragic to be unable to recruit in Washington simply because not enough minority students are being admitted to state colleges and universities."

Other business leaders expressed strong support for the legislation. "I believe that everyone should be given an equal opportunity to succeed," said Howard Schultz, chairman and chief executive officer, Starbucks Coffee Company. "This legislation will help ensure that people from all walks of life will be able to compete on a level playing field."

"We're definitely making progress in helping women and minorities achieve equal opportunities," said Herb Bridge, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy Reserve (Ret.) and co-chairman of Ben Bridge Jeweler Inc. "But we still do not have that level playing field. Let's not stop now."

Affirmative action seeks to enlarge the pool of qualified applicants for jobs and admission to colleges and universities. Backers of the bills emphasized outreach and recruitment efforts are a vital step in ensuring equal opportunity for members of groups that have experienced persistent discrimination.

Supporters of SB 6689 and HB 3130, which include a number of Republican legislators, point out that equality of opportunity has not yet been achieved, making affirmative action still an important part of achieving fairness in employment and education. When over 97 percent of the senior managers in Fortune 1000 companies are male and women earn just 72 cents for every dollar earned by men, affirmative action is still needed.

Of Washington state workers who have benefited directly from affirmative action, 60 percent are white women, while only 21 percent of beneficiaries are people of color. Since the disabled, Vietnam veterans and disabled veterans also are protected groups under affirmative action, 19 percent of workers who directly benefit from affirmative action are white men.

Seattle Mayor Paul Schell said the bill is a good choice for Washington. "It gives everyone an equal chance at a job and an education. The bill preserves the best aspects of affirmative action, and forbids what people object to the most - quotas in public hiring and college admissions," Schell added.

Affirmative action programs would be prohibited from hiring or selecting unqualified persons under the language of the alternative measure. Supporters of the legislation noted the rapid loss of diversity in higher educational institutions in California and Texas following elimination of affirmative action programs there.

Since most job vacancies are not advertised, the overwhelming majority of employment opportunities come through friends and personal contacts. Through wider recruitment and outreach efforts, affirmative action improves both the quality of the workforce and the reality of equal opportunity.

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