Newspaper Page Text
6A
JUNE 10, 1999
Minority contractors advised to get prepared
By Adrienne Turner
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
) AUGUSTA
Neighborhood observers have
expressed concern about the lack
of minority presence on the con
struction site of the new Rich
mond County Health Department
onLlaney-Walker Boulevard. The
feeling is that the workers do not
reflect the community. However,
this project is just the tip of the
iceberg when it comes to changes
th£ are scheduled for the Laney-
Walker area. Laney-Walker De
velopment Corporation has con
tretted with the CSRA Business
League to begin phase two of
Arfnstrong Galleria. So, if the
corimunity wants to see more
mil’iority participation and minor
ityand small business contractors
waht to get in on the action, they
should take the advice of local
leaders and start making sure
thdt their concerns are known
andall of their affairs arein order.
“Contractors need to get their
Discrimination charges
challenge icon’s image
By Dan Sewell
AP §USINESS Writer
1 ATLANTA
You don’t have to go very far
anyfhere in Atlanta to see some
thing _ a park, a library, a youth
sports scoreboard _ that’s come
frori the Coca-Cola Co. And it’s
not*hard to find someone who’s
benefited from either working for
CoKe, for an associated company,
or from investing in the soft-drink
giant.
“Oh, Coke’s a big deal here,”
said Donald Ratajczak, a Georgia
State University economist. “It’s
oneofthe sort of companies whose
community involvement is more
significant than itsdirect economic
presence. And the wealth it’s gen
eratedin this townis substantial,
including in the black commu
nity.”
So, a federal racial discrimina
tion suit filed in late April by four
current or past Coke employees
has“stunned many in Atlanta _
and-caused some to take another
look at the homegrown American
icon.
“Some people say suing Coke in
Atlanta is like suing the pope in
the Vatican,” Cyrus Mehri,a Wash
ington attorney representing the
plaintiffs, said with a chuckle. “But
our clients have received an enor
mous amount of moral support
from both black and white people
botH inside and outside the com
pany and in the community.”
Since the suit was filed, many
leaders in majority-black Atlanta
have cited Coke’s long support
and positive role in the city _
including substantial donations to
black scholarship funds, the city’s
historically black colleges and
mirlority job training. U.S. Rep.
John Lewis, D-Atlanta, a 1960 s
civilrights leader, said Coke’s role
in that era helped build the racial
record of the city that called itself
“too busy to hate.”
Herman “Skip” Mason, who re
séarches and writes about black
history in Atlanta, said Coke has
had a strong relationship “with
the African-American community
going back to the 19205, when it
had a bottling plant on Auburn
Avenue. Coke has been a sponsor
or ah advertiser for many events
in tl“le black community. Its foun
dations have been generous.”
The Coca-Cola Foundation is
chagred by a black woman, Ingrid
Saunders Jones, who'’s also active
in the community as corporate
vic}z)resident for external affairs.
ehri said the suit isn’t meant
to tdke away from Coke’s commu
nity involvement.
“Qur feeling was that if we can
improve Coke in terms of the
issues we've raised, then we are
Call 724-7855 to subscribe
house in order so they will be
ready when the opportunities
present themselves,” said Ed
Mclnty-e who just this week be
gan his duties as a consultant for
the CSRA Business League.
According to Mr. Mclntyre, con
tractors should look at making
sure that they are eligible or cur
rently have bonding, that they
have a successful track record,
sufficient staff and solid budgets.
Brenda Byrd-Pelaez, equal op
portunity officer for Augusta-Rich
mond County, said there is little
that can be done to increase or
ensure minority participation on
private projects such as the health
department. If the city has con
trol of the bids, Ms. Pelaez said,
the purchasing department will
draw up the proposals to ensure
fairness and set goals as to the
amount or percentage of minori
ties that should be involved in the
project.
“We feel that it is important
that the workers reflect the com
munity in which they work and
improving America,” said Mehri,
who also represented black plain
tiffs in the landmark Texaco dis
crimination case.
The suit alleges Coke has “a
glass ceiling and glass walls” for
itsblack employees. The four plain
tiffs, who hope to have their suit
certified as a class action covering
some 1,500 present or past em
ployees, say the company gives
them less opportunity, less pay,
tougherjob appraisals and less job
security than whites.
A youth activist group led by
Morehouse College student
Markel Hutchins recently issued
astatement sayingthat black com
munity leaders should consider
the allegations being raised be
fore saying “how great and grand
the Coca-Cola Co. is in the midst
of the lawsuit.”
The NAACP branch of Clayton
County,just south of Atlanta, said
it has been hearing complaints
about Coke’s treatment of black
employees for two years. The At
lanta office of the Rainbow/Push
Coalition warned in a statement
that Coke’s “decent reputation”
among blacks could be tarnished
if the charges stand up in court.
“In general, reaction from the
Atlanta community has been very
fair,” Coke spokesman Ben
Deutsch said. “They are waiting
for the facts to unfold before pass
ing judgment upon the specific
allegations.
“They have an expectation, as
they should, that the Coca-Cola
Company will take these allega
tions seriously. And we believe we
will demonstrate through our full
and complete response to the plain
tiff allegations that the company
has not, does not and never will
tolerate discrimination of any
kind,” Deutsch added. :
Besides publicly denying the
charges, the company has moved
quickly to address internal con
cerns. Carl Ware, head of Coke’s
Africa Group and the company’s
highest-ranking black as senior
vice president, will co-chair a
newly formed Diversity Advisory
Council at the company.
State Rep. Tyrone Brooks, an
Atlanta Democrat who heads the
Georgia black elected officials’
association, said despite Coke’s
reputation, blacks shouldn’t be
surprised.
“We all know that racism does
exist throughout our society,”
Brooks said. “There are no perfect
corporations with absolutely clean
records.
“It remains to be seen whether
these charges are valid,” Brooks
commented. “But regardless of
how the suit turns out, I think
Coca-Cola will be a better com
pany in the future.”
AUGUSTA FOCUS
Business
we will actively seek out minority
contractors to apply for the work.
However, we cannot guarantee
that they will get the jobs,” said
Cedric Johnson, chairman of the
Laney-Walker Development Cor
poration, who agrees with the com
munity but echoes Ms. Pelaez’s
sentiments.
That’s why it is so important
that contractors are prepared
when the opportunities arise.
City administrator Randy Oliver
said the county bid guidelines en
PRODUCTIVITY TIPS BY ODETTE POLLAR
17 Tips for Easy Filing
Files do not have squatter’s
rights. When you move into your
new workstation, arrange it in a
way that works best for you. Just
because you inherited the files in
your drawers, does not mean they
should remain there. If you are
unsure about tossing or sending
these to storage, at least box them
and get them out of your way.
Make space inside the drawers for
your-active work. Remember, filed
information that is irretrievable
may as well not exist. Take the
time to set up and maintain a
workable filing system, and you
will reap the benefits every day.
1. Create fat files. Place a quan
tity of related papersintothe same
file. This will reduce the number of
places to look for items.
2. File papers in the broadest
possible category to which they
apply. Find the key subject area
and use it to label the file.
3. Head files with a noun. Avoid
starting a file with a date, number
or adjective. “Contract Negotia
tions” is more effective than, “How
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Business
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Two courses to assist prospec
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-“Starting Your Own Business”
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Give
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sure that everyone receives a fair
chance but acknowledges that
awarding the bids may differ de
pending on the tenants who may
exercise the right to choose their
own contractor. So, he suggests
thatsub-contractors prepare them
selves as well. “Contractors are
always looking for a good price
and a good deal,” Mr. Oliver said.
He suggests that they pick up, in
addition to a copy of the plans and
specifications, a list of contractors
thathave obtained the same. They
to Negotiate Contracts” as a head
ing.
4. Avoid nonspecific file labels
suchas“General,”“Miscellaneous,”
“Overall Information”or “Pending.”
These are traps for loose paper.
5. Divide your files into broad
areas, then groupeach subject area
together. Alphabetize within each
grouping.
6. File regularly. Documents sit
ting on top of the cabinet in a pile
“to be filed” are not useful. Back
logs become procrastination traps.
7. Keep extra file folders close at
hand. Create a new file as soon as
you get paper related to a new
project.
8. File articles by the subject
they address. Information should
be stored according to how you will
use it, not where you found it.
9. Place the most recent docu
ment in the front of the file. This
will save much searching time.
10. Create a_personal file for
yourself. This is where you place
all things that pertain only to you.
This would include personal infor
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62 ,
may be able to perform a portion
of the job for a better price than
the contractor and be brought on
board in that way.
Also, Mr. Oliver noted that the
city maintains a “bid list” of all the
contractors in the area. He rec
ommends that contractors and
sub-contractors ensure that their
name is on that list so that they
will be notified when opportuni
ties emanate.
A community meeting will be
held June 17,1999 at BL’s Restau-
mation, notes from friends, car
tons, pay stubs and benefits infor
mation. Tickets for an upcoming
social event can also live here.
11. Resist the impulse to copy
papers and place them in different
files. Place papers in the category
most likely to come to mind when
you think of the subject.
12. Throw away envelopes and
unfold papersbefore filing. Folding
takes up necessary space.
13. Sort through individual files
when they reach two inches are
more in thickness. Inlarge depart
ments, set aside time twice a year
for everyone to purge their papers
and files. Remove unimportant
notes, drafts and nonessential in
formation.
14. Archival files are generally
legal, financial, or historical in na
ture. Resist the temptation to send
everything off to the off site ar
chives.
15. Remove the hanging folder
and, send only the manilla file to
storage. For long term storage,
transfer paper from colored folders
rant on Laney-Walker Blvd. The
purpose of this meeting, accord
ing to Mr. Mclntyre, is to define
hisrole at the Business League as
well as what the needs and expec
tations of the community are.
There will also be a meeting for
contractors on June 29, 1999 to
provide an overview of what
projects are planned and what
opportunities they can expect to
come about. Both meetings start
at 7 p.m. and are open to the
public.
to manila. Colored file folders will
fade overtime and discolor the con
tents.
16. Do not bother to file every
business card you receive, infor
mation you have in another form,
duplicates or items other people
insist you take.
Your personal files should be
easy to access and enable you to
reduce the choices of where a docu
ment can be filed. It is a true joy to
be able to put your hand on some
thingyou need the first time yougo
looking.
17. Stagger file tabs starting left
toright. That is easier toread than
placing all the tabs directly behind
each other.
Odette Pollar is a nationally
known speaker, author, and con
sultant. Her latest book, 365 Ways
to Simplify Your Work Life is avail
able at bookstores. Contact her
with questions and comments at
Time Management Systems, 1441
Franklin Street, Suite 301, Oak
land, CA. Call 1-800-599-TIME or
email at Opollartms@aol.com.