Women, Power, and AT&T: Winning Rights in the Workplace

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.