City of New York Plans to Force National Advertising Agencies to Hire More Black Executives
       According to the New York Times, New York City officials have “reached agreements with several [a dozen] of the nation’s biggest ad firms forcing them to bring [hire] more black managers [executives]”.
       The Times continued: “Under the agreements, the agencies have agreed to submit to three years of monitoring by the city, under which the companies will report hiring, promotion and retention figures to the commission each year. If they do not meet their goals, they will hire an outside consultant to help them do so, among other measures.
       “At the same time the companies have agreed to set up diversity boards and to link progress on the issue to their managers’ compensation.
        “The commission has the authority to fine companies up to $250,000 or to sue them, but officials said that they believed the threat of pressure from agency clients like Pepsi and Citigroup was a more effective stick in bringing corporate leaders to the negotiating table.
       “‘In a city where African-Americans make up one-quarter of the population, with billions of dollars in purchase power, the lack of representation in the advertising industry is completely unacceptable,’ Ms. Gatling said at a meeting of the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington. ‘There are plenty of secretaries and clerks, but very few African-Americans have risen much higher.’”