Court Rules that Newark Plan is Fair

    PressRelease fh La 

FOR IMMEDIA 

WARK PLAN IS FA 

Jan. 21 ---- The NAACP Tf Defense and Educational 

that a U.S. District Court in New Jersey has 

vark Affirmative Action Plan in the con- 

struction of the federal and state funded New Jersey College of Medicine and 

Dentistry to be built in that city. 

court's ruling upheld the lawfulne of the Plan's provision setting 

goals f hiring of minority workers and guaranteeing automatic 

hose minority journeymen employed by the contractors 

limits contained in the collective 

and by-laws of the respective unions. 

these union documents, non-union journeymen who work on any 

gible to apply for union 

membership need not 

blacks have 1 BSE visions are most 

; Where they would be assured job security, 

higher wages and 

The Newark Plan i ilar the recently publicized Philadelphia Plan in 

the federally-supported project, but goes 

guaranteeing uni meme i t kk and Spanish non-tinion 

tradesmen employed 

Newark Plan 2 and Newark city 

governments, as well as the citizens of Newark, who received representation from 

the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund in cooperation witn the Community 

Action Workshop and the Newark- i » Reform Project, two local groups. 

New Jersey contractors and cons® m unions had bri f sivil action 

to court characterizing the goals set by the Plan as 2 quota system and claiming 

that the union ; ership rantee violates unions' rights to cioose their own 

ACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. | 10 Columbus Circle | New York, N.Y. 10019 | (212) 586-839 

ion. Francis E. Rivers - President Jack Greenberg - Director-Cour 



NEWARK PLAN FAIR -2- 

The court in its decision stated that these arguments would have made a 

strong case for the unions were it not for the fact that some unions do 

discriminate against non-whites, who also have constitutional guarantees. 

Noted by the court were the seven New Jersey construction unions with the 

poorest minority representation. They are the electricians, plumbers, roofers, 

sheet metal workers, iron workers, carpenters and glaziers -- the roofers being 

the worst discriminators with no minority members. Minority representation 

in the other six unions ranges from a low of .4% for the sheet metal workers to 

a high of 7.6% for the carpenters. These statistics, when considered in the 

light of Newark's population figures, reveal the magnitude of the discrimination 

problem there. More than 60% of Newark's citizens are black, 10% are Spanish. 

In the Newark ghetto, where the School of Medicine is being built, 84% of the 

residents are black and another 10% are Spanish. 

Development of the Plan came about as a result of the July 1967 Newark 

riots, which errupted when unions and contractors refused to hire experienced 

blacks for jobs on the medical project. 

An appeal by the unions and contractors is expected. 

=30= 

For further information contact: 

Attorney Lowell Johnston or 
Sandy O'Gorman, Public Information 
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund 
10 Columbus Circle, New York City 
(212) 586-8397 

NOTE: The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund is NOT connected with the 
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in any way, 
even though we were established by that organization 31 years ago. Please 
use our complete name, or the initials "LDF" when referring to us.