UNDUE HARDSHIP In order for an employer to legally refuse to accommodate an applicant's or an employee's handicap or religious beliefs, the employer must be able to show that such accommodation would place a severe burden on the operation of the business. See Reasonable Accommodations. UNLAWFUL EMPLOYMENT PRACTICE Any policy or practice that has discriminatory intent or effect. HENRY B GONZALEZ, TEXAS, CHAIRMAN STEPHEN L. NEAL NORTH CAROLINA KWEISI MFUME MARYLAND MAXINE WATERS CALIFORNIA LARRY LAROCCO IDAHO BILL ORTON UTAM JIM BACCHUS FLORIDA HERBERT C KLEIN NEW JERSEY CAROLYN 8 MALONEY NEW YORK PETER DEUTSCH FLORIDA LUIS V GUTIERREZ ILLINOIS BOBBY L AUSH ILLINOIS LUCILLE ROYBAL ALLARD CALIFORNIA ELIZABETH FURSE OREGON NYDIA M VELAZQUEZ NEW YORK CLEO FIELDS LOUISIANA MELVIN WATT, NORTH CAROLINA CALVIN M DOOLEY CALIFORNIA U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED THIRD CONGRESS 2129 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING August 3, 1993 JAMES A LEACH, IOWA BILL MCCOLLUM, FLORIDA MARGE ROUKEMA NEW JERSEY DOUG BEREUTER, NEBRASKA THOMAS RIDGE PENNSYLVANIA ALFRED A MCCANDLESS CALIFORNIA RICHARD H BAKER LOUISIANA JIM NUSSLE, IOWA (202) 225-4247 Mr. Richard F. Syron President Federal Reserve Bank of Boston P.O. Box 2076 Boston, Massachusetts 02106-2076 Dear President Syron: Last year, the Committee requested and you provided information regarding equal employment opportunity at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. As part of our continuing oversight under Rule X of the House of Repre-entatives of the operation and activities of the agencies and departments subject to the Committee's legislative jurisdiction, the Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs requests updated answers to the following questions; 1. With respect to the internal structure of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston: a. Provide current staffing statistics for the bank showing the number employees for each pay grade, by race, sex, and disability, as of Include a separate breakdown for race and sex of the ten highest paid ten percent highest paid employees and the ten percent lowest paid and percentage of b. Provide a description of the responsibilities and qualifications for each job category represented at the bank. For each pay grade, please provide staffing statistics by job category. C. If the personnel or structure in the office which administers your equal employment opportunity programs has changed since your July 1992 response, please describe the current structure and personnel composition of this office. d. Describe and attach copies of all current policies and procedures regarding equal employment opportunity. What goals does the bank have for 1994? e. Please provide an evaluation of the process by which the bank sets its Page 2, President Syron f. Please analyze the impact of your equal opportunity employment policies and goals in relation to the bank's actual employee statistics. Describe in what ways these goals and policies may be adjusted to encourage greater minority and women hiring and advancement. a. Describe in detail any formal or informal policies on cash awards, merit awards, bonuses, geographical differentials, travel reimbursements, membership dues in private clubs and associations and any other compensation or benefits programs. List the criteria that are used for eligibility for each program. b. Provide separately for each category of compensation a list by pay grade, any cash awards, merit awards or any other bonuses paid in 1992. Include in this list a breakdown for minority and women employees. C. Please provide information on the compensation and benefit expenses for the bank for FY 1992. What are the anticipated compensation and benefit expenditures for FY 1993? 3. With respect to complaints based on any applicable equal employment opportunity or pertinent civil rights laws, and your complaint resolution process: a. b. Describe in detail your complaint resolution process. How many complaints, claims, notices, allegations or charges, informal or formal, were filed for calendar year 1992? C. For each category listed in b. above, please give a breakdown of the grounds alleged for discrimination by category, whether race, religion, sex, national origin, or age, and the status or resolution of the complaint. Thank you for your attention to and consideration of this matter. I would appreciate a response by September 10, 1993. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Michele McMahon of my staff at (202) 225-4247. I am again pleased to furnish you with information on our Affirmative Action, Equal Employment Opportunity and compensation and benefit programs as requested in your letter of August 3. We have used a format similar to our 1992 response. The first document in the enclosed response answers each of your questions in detail, and supplemental information follows. We have also enclosed a copy of our 1993 Affirmative Action Plan. The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston continues its strong commitment to Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO). All management personnel continue to be held responsible for affirmative action goals and are evaluated annually on their performance in this area. Our Board of Directors takes an active role in ensuring that all EEO policies are administered in a fair and equitable manner and that the Bank provides challenging opportunities for minorities and females. In the past year, the Bank took additional steps to ensure that its employees work in an atmosphere that is free of discrimination, harassment and unfairness. The Bank adopted a broad anti-harassment policy and established an Employee Representative Program to provide employees with an additional process of raising and resolving issues of discrimination, harassment or unfairness. Nine Bank employees from diverse backgrounds and cultures have been appointed as Employee Representatives. These people are charged with listening to issues brought by employees, investigating the validity of the claims and communicating The Honorable Henry Gonzalez the issues to appropriate personnel for resolution. This program is headed by one of the Employee Representatives who reports directly to the Bank's Chief Operating Officer. In addition, the Bank is vigorously working to promote and celebrate the diversity of its employees. A new publication called Perspectives was developed to focus on the richness of our diversity and to help recruit more minorities and females into the professional ranks of the Bank. We have included several copies of Perspectives for your review. Also, the Bank recently held an event to celebrate the many diverse cultures represented in our employee population. We are confident that these efforts will promote harmony and understanding in the Bank. The Bank continues its active involvement in training low income workers with the Boston Private Industry Council and its work with the Community Reinvestment Act. The Bank is very pro-active in areas of community investment and participates in a host of community-related activities. I will be happy to discuss any information in this material with you or your staff in greater detail should you desire to do so. Additionally, First Vice President Cathy E. Minehan, the Bank's Chief Operating Officer, and Senior Vice President and General Counsel William N. McDonough, the Bank's senior Personnel Officer, are available to discuss this information. They may be reached at (617) 973-3832 and (617) 973-3528, respectively. Thank you. Sincerely, All The Best! Dick Synon Richard F. Syron President and Chief Executive Officer |