jmm@bonnie.UUCP (Joe Mcghee) (01/16/85)
!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Recently, two New York City elected officials have proposed initiatives directed at discriminatory practices which have flourished under British rule in Northern Ireland. Comptroller Harrison Goldin proposes to attack discrimination by American-owned subsidiary companies through shareholder initiatives, public pressure, joint action with other municipalities and further sanctions. City Councilman Salvatore Albanese proposes to legislate mandatory divestiture of funds for any American company which will not pledge to end discrimination in their Northern Ireland subsidiaries. Sanctions would be implemented primarily by withdrawing the investments of New York City pension funds from these corporations if they do not sign a pledge to end employment discrimination within their respective subsidiaries in Northern Ireland. Thereafter, provisions for monitoring the actual implementation of the affirmative action measures would be undertaken. Approximately 250 million dollars and fourteen American corporations are involved. Concerning these companies, Albanese said: "These same companies have implemented affirmative action in the United States relative to minorities and women. We are asking them to implement the same type of measure against immoral sectarian discrimination in the north of Ireland. We need leverage to achieve results and the threat of divestiture is the leverage." Both Goldin and Albanese have addressed the issue of discriminatory unemployment in Northern Ireland where the unemployment rate for Nationalists is two and one-half times the rate of unemployment for Loyalists. Both men have said that it is right for Americans to involve themselves in this issue. And both the Comptroller and the City Councilman are not content with lip service, but are taking action. Approximately a year ago the county government of Rockland County, New York withdrew all funds from Barclay Banks of England in a similar action. The two largest banks doing business in Northern Ireland at present are National Westminster Bank and Midland Bank thru their subsidiaries, Northern Bank and Ulster Bank. bonnie!jmm J. M. McGhee
jonab@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Jonathan Biggar) (01/18/85)
In article <375@bonnie.UUCP> jmm@bonnie.UUCP (Joe Mcghee) writes: >!!!!!!!!!!!!!! > > Recently, two New York City elected officials have proposed initiatives >directed at discriminatory practices which have flourished under British rule >in Northern Ireland. Comptroller Harrison Goldin proposes to attack >discrimination by American-owned subsidiary companies through shareholder >initiatives, public pressure, joint action with other municipalities and >further sanctions. > City Councilman Salvatore Albanese proposes to legislate mandatory >divestiture of funds for any American company which will not pledge to end >discrimination in their Northern Ireland subsidiaries. This is very interesting. All along I thought that only the Federal Government was allowed to make foreign policy. Seriously, don't any of you think like I do that these people are trying to usurp the federal Government's right to set foreign policy? Jon Biggar {allegra,burdvax,cbosgd,hplabs,ihnp4,sdccsu3}!sdcrdcf!jonab
gam@amdahl.UUCP (gam) (01/20/85)
> Both Goldin and Albanese have addressed the issue of discriminatory > unemployment in Northern Ireland where the unemployment rate for Nationalists > is two and one-half times the rate of unemployment for Loyalists. Has anyone determined that the cause of this difference is in fact discrimination? Or is there a preffered advantage in hiring "Loyalists" over "Nationalists" (who *are* these people, anyway?). Sometimes culture has more to do with these things that one would like to think. -- Gordon A. Moffett ...!{ihnp4,hplabs,sun}!amdahl!gam