From: Jean
Date: 6/20/01
Time: 7:37:14 PM
And just how many non white managers of that age do they have? -------------------------
International | US National | Entertainment | Sports | Markets | Science & Technology Washington | Horoscopes | Weather Search News: White males accuse Ford of job bias Click for complete story
Wednesday, 20 June 2001 12:27 (ET)
White males accuse Ford of job bias DETROIT, June 20 (UPI) -- More white male managers accuse the Ford Motor Co. of reverse discrimination, claiming they are victims of racial, age and gender bias as the world's second-largest automaker seeks to reinvent itself as a young, more racially diverse company. Two class-action lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court in February charged Ford's year-old management performance-evaluation system was aimed at getting rid of older while males to make the corporation look more like its customer base. The controversial policy upended Ford's paternalist evaluation system under which middle managers received almost automatic bonuses and promotions for completing projects. The new job review system requires supervisors to grade employees from best to worst. The top 10 percent received "As," the middle 80 percent "Bs" and the bottom 10 percent "Cs." Those rated "C" don't receive a bonus and two "Cs" in a row can mean demotion or firing. Ford said the new policy was fair and would improve teamwork. But Chief Executive Officer Jacques Nasser agreed to modify the job review system after managers complained that the new policy undermined cooperation with their peers. Now only the bottom 5 percent of the company's 18,000 managers will be graded "C." "It's fair and it's not discriminatory," Ford spokeswoman Anne Marie Gattari told Wednesday's Detroit Free Press. "We look for the best talent in all populations of people." However, older white managers who received "Cs" after long highly productive careers say they feel they are victims of discrimination. A number of older white managers have left voluntarily but others say they don't want to be pushed out and are ready to fight. A lawyer for two employees plans to file complaints with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by Friday on behalf of two Ford managers who claim they lost promotions because of racial discrimination. -- Copyright 2001 by United Press International. All rights reserved. -- The romantic sounds of classic Cuban music blend with contemporary Spanish guitar in Alicia y Yo, a new CD from Spain. Click here to listen to some tracks and order the CD Return to headlines.