For Release April 25, 2003Nation's Oldest Workplace Non-Discrimination Policy Under Attack
AT&T Shareholders to vote on EEO Non Discrimination Policy
Bedminster, NJ -- When the 118th Annual Meeting of AT&T Corp. takes place on June 11, 2003 in Savannah, Ga., shareholders will be deciding on a proposal to eliminate the nation's oldest corporate non-discrimination policy affecting lesbians and gays. In the proxy statement, the AT&T Board of Directors strongly recommended the rejection of this proposal."At AT&T's 2002 Annual Meeting of Shareowners, this proposal was defeated by more than 88% of the votes cast. The Board believes that adoption of this proposal would inappropriately signal a departure from historic policy, wrongly suggest tolerance for discrimination based on sexual orientation, negatively impact our workplace environment, and would not be in the best interests of AT&T.
"AT&T has a long-standing policy of non-discrimination in the workplace and abides by applicable federal, state, and local laws. Our corporate policy is, in part, 'to prohibit unlawful discrimination or harassment because of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, citizenship, sex, marital status, age, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, or because of one's status as a special disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam era, in any employment decision or in the administration of any personnel policy.' The primary purpose of this policy is to foster an inclusive workplace which does not subject any of our employees to abuse, harassment, or discrimination.
"We strive to foster an atmosphere of respect for responsible opinions and views of all kinds, crossing the full spectrum of beliefs and issues. We also strive to create an environment that enhances creativity and innovation where our employees work well together to better serve our customers. This helps us to attract talented individuals to become employees and to contribute fully to meeting our business objectives. We believe this is in the best interests of AT&T, our employees, our customers, and our shareowners."
According to Bonnie Hoover, co-president of AT&T's Lesbian and Gay Business Resource Group (LEAGUE), "We are proud of the continued support of AT&T's leadership. Our workplace is and continues to be a safe workplace that fosters inclusiveness of all employees. This is not a special right. All employees should be free of discrimination."
LEAGUE encourages all AT&T Shareholders to follow the recommendation of the AT&T Board of Directors.
For further information, please contact the following person or refer to the following website.
Mark F. Carden
EVP of Communication
LEAGUE at AT&T
770-436-7563
http://www.league-att.org
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