Overview

A fight for equal opportunity took place in the 70's at the intersection of the country's largest corporation (AT&T), women's rights activists (NOW), and Government's major efforts to enforce equal opportunity. The outcome forced corporations to change employment practices and motivated women to challenge sexist employment practices across the country. Changing the culture of the corporation did not come easily, and this protracted battle lasted three years. Herr explains in this book how NOW worked with AT&T women and with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), a fledgling government agency seeking a large target. AT&T was the perfect target, being in fact the largest corporate employer in the US and a leader in corporate social responsibility at the time. Herr thoroughly examines the role played by feminists in the genesis and development of the EEOC's case and explains how the resulting Consent Decree set in place groundbreaking changes in how companies were to treat their female and minority employees. In addition to revealing how a government working for people took a strong stand against sexist corporate behavior, the story also provides an insider's view of life in the midst of this time of change.

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9781647532420

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Growing up in the fifties steered Herr in a traditional direction for women - first, teaching, and then editing. But her growing awareness of feminism and her involvement with the Chicago Chapter of the National Organization for Women led her to activism inside and outside her corporate life. Her 26 year career in telecommunications included line and staff jobs in Bell Laboratories, AT&T, New York Telephone, and ultimately NYNEX. Shortly after the EEOC and AT&T case was settled and affirmative action became a reality, Herr took off on her own career, spending a year in Washington on a special assignment to the Office of Management and Budget. Later she would serve in state, county, and local office. After retiring from the corporation, Lois bought and managed a farm near where she was born in Pennsylvania, returned to her undergraduate college as a teacher and administrator, and then became involved in politics, including several runs for congress. In addition to this book, originally published in 2003, Herr authored Dear Coach: Letters Home From WW II (2009), and Dear Woman of My Dreams (2016). She holds an MBA from Fordham University, an MA in English from the University of Pennsylvania, and a BA from Elizabethtown College. She is working on a new book about her experiences after the EEOC-AT&T case as she sought to break into the male dominated upper levels of management. See www.loisherr.com for additional information.

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