A Labor Day Report Card: SEWRPC Minority Hiring Still Skimpy

Let's take a Labor Day look at how the best jobs at the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission are distributed statistically, by race.

You still can't take a bus to SEWRPC's Pewaukee offices, and it's a long ride from Milwaukee and Racine, where most of the region's minority residents live, but since the agency deals with housing, transit and other hot-button issues in minority and low-income communities, it's fair to see what kind of record the agency has when it comes to race.

These are the current employment-by-race figures taken from the SEWRPC 2009-2010 affirmative action plan currently posted on the agency website (You can read the entire report,which has additional information, here.)

Total number of employees: 80.

So of 69 employees, 56 are men, 24 are women. 69 are white, 11 are non-white.

Here is how SEWRPC rates its performance, using more than one measuring stick, as you will see:

"On general, the Commission is meeting a fundamental goal of achieving a level of nonwhite employment in the managerial, professional and technical categories, exceeding such levels found in the available labor force of the Region. Moreover, the Commission’s level of nonwhite employment in the technical category exceeds such levels found in the available labor force of Milwaukee County. The Commission is not reaching the level of nonwhite participation in the clerical category evidenced in the Region. Accordingly, the Commission will continue to enhance its activities toward achieving a diverse workforce, including a focus on clerical and professional categories of its labor force as positions become available."

Compared to earlier data, the number of minority employees is marginally improved (with such a small sample, it's silly to talk in percentages) but the actual number of minority employees, especially in the higher-paying professional and managerial ranks - - 4 of 45 total - - is nothing to write home about.

Little wonder that SEWRPC is still facing formal civil rights complaints on hiring and other matters.

Final note: The report says SEWRPC annually updates the document:

"This affirmative action plan will be updated in July each year. This will consist of an update of the workforce analysis, together with comments relative to progress in reaching the Commission’s diversity employment goals, changes in those goals as may be appropriate, and any desirable modifications to activities."

But I don't see it on the website at the line at the bottom of the page about the agency's Affirmative Action plan.

So how would you rate SEWRPC on these matters?

I'd give the agency a "D."