An Inclusive Litany

6/5/96

When the Artkraft Strauss Sign Corporation agreed to fabricate and install a set of 15-foot metal letters on the roof of a factory building in New York City, its president, Tama Starr, had to sign a 101-page contract, including 20 separate documents spelling out affirmative-action requirements. One document required iron workers on the job to be 58.53 percent minority and 7.63 percent female, while another document required that the contractor "will not discriminate ... on the basis of ... race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, handicap, marital status, sexual orientation or affectional preference."