Sponsor: Ms. Kathy Gause, Architect of the Capitol 

President: Mr. Luther Santiful (Director, Department of the Army EEO Agency) opened the meeting at 10:05 am. 

All members in attendance identified their agency and introduced themselves.  

Msr. Santiful Gause introduced Mr. Henry Romero, Associate Director for Workforce Compensation and Performance Service, Office of Personnel Management, and members of his staff, Ms. Doris Hausser, Ms. Judy Davis, Mr. Winford Hooker, and Ms. Dee Newlin.  

Mr. Romero gave a presentation on an OPM proposal to update the Position Classification Standard for the GS-0200, Personnel and Industrial Relations Group. In his presentation, he explained OPM's proposal for the GS-0260, Equal Employment Opportunity Series, and the GS-0360, Equal Opportunity Compliance Series.  

Mr. Romero stated that OPM, at NPR's request, is looking to simplify the classification system-- with its approximately 432 job series--by developing job-family standards. One of the standards under review is the GS-0200 family, which includes the GS-0260 series. The new standard would place 12 of the different HR series in the GS-0201 family, with parenthetical specialty titles for each function. For example, GS-0201 (Employee Benefits); GS-0201 (Employee Development); GS-0201 (Recruitment & Placement), etc.  

Among the OPM proposals for the 260 series are: 1) create a GS-0201 (Affirmative Employment) specialty for positions involved in affirmative employment plan implementation and achievement of workforce diversity goals, where the paramount knowledge requirement is recruitment, examination, selection, or placement of employees. He also proposed to incorporate GS-0260 and GS-0360 duties into the GS-1800, Investigation Group study. Several Council members suggested switching EEO work to the 360 series. OPM also suggested the possibility of creating a new series (GS-1860) for EEO Specialists. However, the last proposal to create a new series is confusing, considering that the catalyst for having an OPM review of the classification system was NPR's complaint that there were too many series. 

Mr. Romero said that the HR standard for the 200 family will be issued in draft form in Dec. 1999, and that agencies will have a chance to comment on it. Plans are to issue the final version in the spring of 2000. On the other hand, OPM plans to issue the draft standard for the 1800 family in the spring of 2000, and the final version -- which might include the EEO series--by late summer of 2000. 

When asked what was behind the proposal for the parenthetical specialty of "Affirmative Employment", it was stated that fact-finding revealed that the Air Force has an active affirmative action program in its HR shop. Several Council members said that if the Air Force was not doing EEO the way that the EEOC’s Management Directive110 called for, that OPM should not look to Air Force as the model.  

Some Council members favored changing the entire EEO family to the 360 series, because EEO work deals primarily with compliance issues. They indicated that it would be a mistake to put EEO in the 1800 series because investigation was only one aspect of EEO.  

Most Council members stated that the proposed changes would have major political implications for the career field. Thus, they argued that it could not be discussed solely from the technical angle. For example, they indicated that putting EEO work in the GS-0201 series would make it easier for HR professionals to qualify for EEO jobs. (Henry acknowledged that the GS-0260 was the series in the HR family with the greatest increase in jobs). In addition, some Council members said that putting EEO work in the 1800 series was problematic because investigations had been designated as a commercial activity that could be contracted out.  

Mr. Romero said that OPM had not made up its mind on the EEO series, yet. This is why he came to the Council's meeting to discuss options and proposals, and to request its input.  

The Council formed a task force to develop the Council's position by the next meeting. Members of the task force are: Ms. Linda Adams (Centers for Disease Control), Ms. Christina Bruce (National Institute of Health), Mr. John Tomas (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission), Ms. Ana Ortiz (National Science Foundation), and Ms. Carmen Duncan (Army). The Council will forward the position to OPM.