The Alabama Department of Transportation Affirmative Action Plan (AAP) is derived in accordance with the Code of Federal Regulation, which requires all State Highway Agencies to produce an annual plan, which analyzes the Department's personnel and management policies and practices. The AAP examines the utilization of women and minorities within the workforce, to ensure that such groups are represented in all occupational classifications. The AAP will identify employment areas that such groups are underutilized and address a manner in which such disparities will be approached.

The major goal of the AAP is the recognition and removal of any barriers to equal employment opportunities and the identification of problem areas that have unfairly prevented women and minorities from competing for jobs on an equal basis. An effective AAP will not only benefit individuals that have been victimized by actions of exclusion but will dictate a methodology whereas the entire workforce will be a beneficiary of the process.

The ALDOT Executive Director has designated the responsibility of implementing the AAP and the equal employment program to the department's Affirmation Action Officer (AAO), who is assigned to the Compliance section. The AAO will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the ALDOT occupational classifications in accordance with the federal guidelines. The results of the analysis will be reduced to narrative recommendations to address the defined areas of deficiencies.

Additionally, the AAO will ensure that the AAP is publicized internally to all operational units and externally to community groups with an objective to promote the aims of equal employment. The AAO will also confirm that the contents of the AAP are in compliance with the specifications as outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations.

The format of the AAP by which it is compiled into a narrative document may vary but the basic substance and structure will be constant. The essence of an AAP will include, but not be limited to:

• The inclusion of a strong agency policy statement of commitment to EEO.
• Assignment of responsibility and authority for program to a qualified individual.
• A survey of the labor market area in terms of population makeup, skills, and availability for employment.
• Analyzing the present work force to identify jobs, departments and units where minorities and females are underutilized.
• Setting specific, measurable, an attainable hiring and promotion goals, with target dates, in each area of underutilization.
• Making every manager and supervisor responsible and accountable for meeting these goals.
• Reevaluating job descriptions and hiring criteria to assure that they reflect actual job needs.
• Finding minorities and females who are qualified or qualifiable to fill jobs.
• Getting minorities and females into upward mobility and relevant training programs where they have not had previous access.
• Developing systems to monitor and measure progress regularly.
• Developing a procedure whereby employees and applicants may process allegations of discrimination to an impartial body without fear of reprisal.

The written AAP is a management tool used at all organizational levels to actively implement, measure and evaluate program progress on the specific action items which represent EEO program problems or deficiencies.

As a minimum, the following actions will be taken to implement the AAP within ALDOT:

1. Issue a written employment opportunity statement policy and affirmative action commitment by the Department.
2. Publicize the AAP:
• Internallly
• Externally
3. Develop and implement specific programs to eliminate discriminatory barriers and achieve goals:
• Job structuring and upward mobility
• Recruitment and placement
• Promotions
• Training
• Layoffs, recalls, discharges demotions and disciplinary actions
• Other personnel actions
4. Program Evaluation
5. Employment statistical data:
• The total population in the state
• The total labor market in the state, with a breakdown by race and sex
• An analysis of (1) and (2) above, in connection with the availability of personnel and jobs within the SHA
• ALDOT utilizes the EEO-4 Form to provide current workforce data. This data is provided by salary range under the heading of:
• Employment
• Promotions
• Terminations
• Training

ALDOT in year 2001 formulated its first comprehensive AAP, which included an extensive analysis of its workforce data in relationship to the 2000 census data. In the following calendar years, ALDOT has files supplemental AAP with the FHWA, which denoted ALDOT's actions to address defined areas of underutilization of individual groups.

LINKS
Program Updates

For questions pertaining to the Affirmative Action Program contact Tameka Rose at 334.242.6943.