10d. Resolution
3812 Equity Policy Directive
Item Number: 10d_reso Meeting Date: March 28, 2023 1 PORT OF SEATTLE 2 RESOLUTION NO. 3812 3 4 A RESOLUTION of the Port of Seattle Commission establishing an Equity 5 Directive to guide the integration of equity, diversity, 6 inclusion, and belonging into the Port’s practices and 7 policies, and to move our work beyond compliance and 8 mandates towards long-term commitment and sustainable 9 systems change. 10 11 WHEREAS, the voters of King County authorized and approved the formation of a port 12 district coterminous with King County to be known as the Port of Seattle in a special election on 13 September 5, 1911; and 14 15 WHEREAS, the mission of the Port of Seattle is to promote economic opportunities and 16 quality of life in the region which includes building an inclusive economy and public agency that 17 values and advances equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging; and 18 19 WHEREAS, the Port of Seattle Commission adopted Order No. 2018-06 on May 8, 2018, 20 which created an equity pilot program which recognized equity as critical to the Port’s core values 21 as an organization and called for the creation of an Equity Policy Directive; and 22 23 WHEREAS, the Port of Seattle Commission adopted Motion 2020-19 on October 13, 24 2020, which directed the Executive Director to examine Port operations and policies for sources 25 of racial bias and discrimination and to develop programs and policies to eliminate inequity in all 26 aspects of the organization; and 27 28 WHEREAS, the Port’s Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion was created in 2019, 29 the first of its kind for a port nationally, with a mission to build capacity across the organization 30 to address institutional oppression and to transform Port policies, practices, and processes; and 31 32 WHEREAS, Order 2018-06 and Motion 2020-19 have both informed development of an 33 Equity Policy Directive that would apply Portwide and incorporate equity into the Port’s 34 structural, operational, and external practices, and would help to achieve the Century Agenda 35 goal of becoming a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive organization; and 36 37 WHEREAS, environmental justice is a distinct and critical component of equity, the 38 Port’s long history of and ongoing engagement with communities along the Duwamish, Elliott 39 Bay, and surrounding the airport will be vital to deepening the Port’s expertise on environmental 40 justice as directed by the Equity Policy Directive; and 41 Resolution No. 3812, Equity Policy Directive Page 1 of 12 42 WHEREAS, the Port of Seattle has continuously worked to put our equity values into 43 action by re-building the Port into a national leader and as an inclusive employer where 44 employees feel they belong and are valued; and by pro-actively working to ensure our programs, 45 policies, and initiatives incorporate equity best practices to the greatest extent possible in order 46 to reach our anti-racist goals. 47 48 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Port of Seattle Commission as 49 follows: 50 51 SECTION 1. The Equity Policy Directive as shown in the attached Exhibit A is hereby 52 established with the following goals: 53 54 Goal 1: Identifying and eliminating disparities in access to working with and for the Port of Seattle. 55 56 Goal 2: Ensuring that all internal and external initiatives, programs, structures, and practices have 57 Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at their core. 58 59 Goal 3: Developing leadership accountability for reaching Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and 60 Belonging goals in our work across the Port and in port-related industries. 61 62 Goal 4: Deepening our collective analysis of anti-Black racism in order to improve our policies, 63 programming, and practices to positively impact Black employees and community members. 64 65 Goal 5: Strengthening our community partnerships in Port-related work through authentic 66 relationship building and engagement with Port-impacted communities. 67 68 Goal 6: Proactively seeking community input to inform and influence decision-making related to 69 Port of Seattle projects, programs, and initiatives. 70 71 Goal 7: Working to infuse recommendations from the Port’s Equity Assessment and Women of 72 Color Assessment and any future assessments into practice and policy as well as working towards 73 culture and system shifts to strengthen equity at the Port of Seattle. 74 75 SECTION 2. The Policy Directive contained in Exhibit A and attached to this Resolution 76 shall be labeled and catalogued as appropriate, together with other Commission Policy Directives, 77 and shall be made readily available for use by Port staff and members of the public as a governance 78 document of the Port of Seattle. 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 Resolution No. 3812, Equity Policy Directive Page 2 of 12 89 ADOPTED by the Port of Seattle Commission at a duly noticed public meeting thereof, 90 held this ___ day of _________________ , 2023, and duly authenticated in open session by the 91 signatures of the commissioners voting in favor thereof and the seal of the Commission. 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 Port of Seattle Commission Resolution No. 3812, Equity Policy Directive Page 3 of 12 104 EXHIBIT A to Resolution 3812 – 105 106 107 108 109 Port of Seattle Commission 110 111 Equity Policy Directive 112 113 As Adopted 114 XXXX XX, 2023 115 Resolution No. 3812, Equity Policy Directive Page 4 of 12 116 SECTION 1. Purpose. 117 118 The Port of Seattle is committed to being a regional and national leader in equity and social 119 justice. 120 121 At the Port of Seattle, we center racial equity because of the role that government, as an 122 institution, has and continues to have in perpetuating racial inequities. Racial oppression is 123 foundational to our country's origins; it forms the language and structure for all types of 124 discrimination. Centering racial equity at the Port of Seattle sets a specific, strategic focus that 125 will allow us to develop structural approaches to address all forms of oppression and to advance 126 our inclusion and belonging values as a public agency. 127 128 Our vision is to develop a Port that mirrors — throughout its breadth of operations and services 129 and within its leadership structure — the diversity of our community, instills principles of equity 130 in its culture, and ensures a fair and intentional distribution of opportunities with the goal of 131 expanding economic development and quality of life for all. 132 133 The purpose of this policy directive is to guide the integration of equity, diversity, inclusion, and 134 belonging into the Port’s practices and policies, and to move our work beyond compliance and 135 mandates towards long-term commitment and sustainable systems change. The Port has already 136 taken the critical step of recognizing the need to center equity in the work of the organization. 137 The Port of Seattle Commission has centered equity in several ways, such as: adding a goal to 138 become a model for equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging to the Century Agenda; creating 139 the first in the nation Port Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (OEDI); conducting a Port 140 Policing Equity Assessment; adopting the Duwamish Valley Community Benefits Commitment 141 Policy Directive; recognizing Juneteenth as a Port-paid holiday; and passing the 2020 Racial Bias 142 and Equity Motion. 143 144 To further this work, this directive will advance equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging by: 145 A. Identifying and eliminating disparities in access to working with and for the Port of 146 Seattle. 147 B. Ensuring that all internal and external initiatives, programs, structures, and practices 148 have Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at their core. 149 C. Developing leadership accountability for reaching Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and 150 Belonging goals in our work across the Port and in port-related industries. 151 D. Deepening our collective analysis of anti-Black racism in order to improve our policies, 152 programming, and practices to positively impact Black employees and community 153 members. 154 E. Strengthening our community partnerships in Port-related work through authentic 155 relationship building and engagement with Port-impacted communities. 156 F. Proactively seeking community input to inform and influence decision-making related to 157 Port of Seattle projects, programs, and initiatives. 158 159 Resolution No. 3812, Equity Policy Directive Page 5 of 12 160 G. Working to infuse recommendations from the Port’s Equity Assessment and Women of 161 Color Assessment and any future assessments into practice and policy as well as working 162 towards culture and system shifts to strengthen equity at the Port of Seattle. 163 164 SECTION 2. Definitions. 165 166 When used in this policy directive, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings given 167 below, unless the context in which they are included clearly indicates otherwise: 168 169 “Anti-Black Racism” means policies and practices rooted in institutions and systems that 170 reinforce beliefs, attitudes, prejudice, stereotyping, and/or discrimination towards Black people. 171 While many racial and ethnic groups experience racism or prejudice, the term anti-Black racism 172 underscores the unique experiences of racism for Black people. 173 174 “Belonging” means having a meaningful voice and the opportunity to participate in the design of 175 initiatives, programs, and team/cultural norms. At its core, belonging is not just about inclusion, 176 but also about sharing power, access, and opportunities among all groups and individuals within 177 an organization. 178 179 "Business Planning Efforts" mean Port-wide strategic planning efforts, executed on a quarterly 180 cadence by all divisions and Centers of Expertise across the organization. Quarterly efforts are as 181 follows: Q1 - Analysis of prior year's performance; Q2 - Strategic Business; Q3 - Budget 182 development; and Q4 - Finalizing Budget, Business Plans and goals for the following year. 183 184 “Century Agenda” means the Port’s directional compass that guides the vision of the entire 185 organization. 186 187 “Change Team” means a Port-wide cohort of employees from all departments and lines of 188 business, working to engage all levels of the Port in using a racial equity framework in their daily 189 work, decisions, programming, and policies. 190 191 “Department” means any Port of Seattle organizational structure that has a director that reports 192 to a Managing Director who serves on the Executive Leadership Team. 193 194 “Economic Development Programs” means occupational job training and placement, job 195 advancement and job retention, pre-apprenticeship training, or occupational education 196 programs associated with port tenants, customers; local economic development programs 197 related to port tenants or port-related economic activities that are sponsored by a port and 198 operated by a nonprofit, private, or public entity; small business development; and other 199 programs as authorized by RCW 53.08.245. 200 201 202 203 Resolution No. 3812, Equity Policy Directive Page 6 of 12 204 205 “Equity” means fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all people while 206 striving to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of historically 207 oppressed communities. Improving equity involves increasing justice and fairness within the 208 procedures and processes of institutions or systems and a fair, intentional distribution of 209 resources. 210 211 “EDI” means equity, diversity, and inclusion. “Equity, diversity, and inclusion” and “equity, 212 diversity, inclusion, and belonging” will be used interchangeably to reflect the growing language 213 of equity-focused work to create a culture and environment of belonging. 214 215 “Equity Directive Implementation Guide” means the reference guide developed to capture the 216 Port’s emerging equity protocols and processes to operationalize equity motions and directives 217 passed by the Commission. As a guide, it is intended to provide a road map on internal systems 218 changes led by OEDI. The Equity Directive Implementation Guide will be updated at the direction 219 of the Senior Director of OEDI. Updates will be developed in consultation with Change Team 220 members, the Executive Director, Executive Leadership Team (ELT), and the Commission 221 committee responsible for oversight of OEDI. 222 223 “Environmental Justice” is the principle that all people and communities have a right to a healthy 224 environment and a right to equal protection and equal enforcement of environmental laws and 225 regulations, and recognizes that vulnerable communities are subjected to disproportionate 226 burdens of pollution. 227 228 “Equity in Budgeting” is the integration of an equity lens into the budgeting process and decision- 229 making, including policies, practices, programs, and ultimately, departmental budgets, to 230 develop strategies and actions that reduce inequities, with a particular focus on racial inequities. 231 232 “Executive Director’s Protocol on Port-wide Goal Establishment and Reporting” refers to 233 protocols issued by the Executive Director’s Office which provide guidance and direction on how 234 all new goals, objectives and reporting requirements that impact a majority of divisions, DOEs or 235 staff will be reviewed and adopted by the Executive Director and the ELT. 236 237 "Port Assessments” is in reference to two prior Port assessments: the Equity Assessment and the 238 Women of Color Assessment. In 2021, these two organizational assessments surveyed employee 239 perceptions of the state of equity and conditions for women of color at the Port of Seattle. The 240 findings of each report identify issues and contain recommendations that will move the Port 241 towards its Century Agenda goals and address systemic and/or cultural issues. 242 243 “Port-impacted communities” includes both internal and external stakeholders impacted by Port 244 activities. Internal stakeholders include employees, and external stakeholders include small 245 businesses, vendors, contractors, airport workers, and vulnerable communities impacted by 246 port-related activities. 247 Resolution No. 3812, Equity Policy Directive Page 7 of 12 248 “Port-related industries” means aviation, maritime, construction trades, and green career 249 industries. 250 251 “Social Justice” means equal rights and equitable opportunities for all. 252 253 “Women or Minority-Owned Business” (WMBE) means a business that is at least 51 percent 254 owned and controlled by women and/or minority (including, but not limited to African 255 Americans, Native Americans, Asians, and Latino) group members. 256 257 “Workforce Development” means the composite of strategies and services, including career 258 connected learning, K-12 education, worker and employer training and job matching that help 259 connect and retain workers to careers within the Port and port-related economic activities, and 260 that help ensure area businesses have access to the skilled workforce they need to thrive and 261 grow. RCW 53.08.245(1) provides that “[i]t shall be in the public purpose for all port districts to 262 engage in economic development programs.” RCW 53.08.245(2)(a) provides that such economic 263 development programs may include “[o]occupational job training and placement, job 264 advancement and job retention, pre-apprenticeship training, or occupational education 265 programs associated with port tenants, customers, and local economic development related to 266 port tenants or port-related economic activities that are sponsored by a port and operated by a 267 nonprofit, private, or public entity.” 268 269 SECTION 3. Scope and Applicability. 270 271 This directive pertains to all Port of Seattle employees and related business units. Activities to 272 implement this directive must be feasible, under the Port’s legal authority, and within the Port’s 273 policies. Port contractors are outside the scope of this policy directive. 274 275 SECTION 4. Responsibilities. 276 277 The Executive Director, or delegate, shall engage in the following activities in pursuit of this policy 278 directive: 279 280 1. Develop and implement initiatives, programs, practices, and policies to foster and grow 281 a culture of belonging and inclusion within the Port consistent with this policy directive, 282 including but not limited to: contracting, business opportunities for women or minority- 283 owned businesses, workforce development, creating and supporting internal pathways 284 for employees of color and women to advance within the organization to be successful 285 in their work, and other relevant Port directives and activities. 286 a. For additional guidance on implementation of this directive, the Port shall refer 287 to the Equity Policy Directive Implementation Guide and/or consult with OEDI. 288 289 2. Use the Port's influence to advance equity as part of the Port’s mission to promote 290 economic development and enhance quality of life via programs and strategies across 291 King County and the region. Resolution No. 3812, Equity Policy Directive Page 8 of 12 292 293 SECTION 5. Policy. 294 295 As part of the Port’s comprehensive Century Agenda Strategic Plan, the Port will strive to 296 “Become a Model for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion.” In doing so, the Port will ensure that internal 297 and external initiatives, programs, structures, and practices will be implemented using an equity 298 lens. To achieve this Century Agenda goal, the Executive Director, or designee, shall implement 299 the following structural, operational, and external-facing policies, and develop the Port’s 300 environmental justice policies: 301 302 A. Structural 303 304 1. OEDI shall be a permanent department at the Port of Seattle and reside within 305 Corporate/Central Services. 306 a. The leader of OEDI shall serve on the Port’s Executive Leadership Team. 307 b. The mission of OEDI shall be to work with departments to lead and/or support 308 the Port’s efforts to advance equity and inclusion across the Port. 309 310 2. The Executive Director, or delegate, shall establish and empower a permanent internal 311 Change Team at the Port. The Change Team shall be empowered to collaborate with 312 managers, directors, senior leadership, and other stakeholders to integrate equity and 313 anti-racism practices and advance Port and department EDI goals 314 3. Change Team activities and methods will be reviewed and approved by the Executive 315 Director or their delegate. 316 4. In cases where these activities or methods would impact the majority of divisions, 317 departments, or staff, the Change Team or OEDI shall submit plans for these efforts to 318 the Executive Director, delegate, and ELT for review and approval prior to adoption. 319 320 B. Operational 321 322 1. As part of annual business planning efforts, each Port department shall set its own 323 annual equity, diversity, and inclusion goals, and work towards achieving these goals. 324 The Executive Director, or delegate, shall designate Port staff to assist departments in 325 the creation and revision of their EDI goals. Departmental EDI goals shall be informed by 326 broad engagement of employees across the department, including Port assessments. 327 a. Any equity goal set for a department shall be developed collaboratively with the 328 respective manager or director of that department and reviewed during the 329 business planning period prior to adoption and implementation. 330 b. Any proposed new goals or reporting requirements shall be brought to regularly 331 scheduled business planning meetings, events, or efforts (annually in Q2), to be 332 included into the standard business planning process conducted by all 333 departments. 334 c. Any goal creation by the ED, delegate or Change Team member shall follow the 335 Executive Director’s Protocol on Port-wide Goal Establishment and Reporting. Resolution No. 3812, Equity Policy Directive Page 9 of 12 336 2. Progress towards setting and achieving departmental equity goals shall be considered in 337 the annual performance reviews of the Executive Director and members of the ELT. 338 3. The Port shall use an equity in budgeting toolkit, or equivalent mechanism, in the 339 business planning and budgeting process for every department. 340 4. The Executive Director, or a delegate, shall: 341 a. Develop a definition for “equity-related resources” The proposed definition shall 342 be reviewed by Commissioner Mohamed, Commissioner Cho, and the Equity and 343 Workforce Development Committee. 344 b. Calculate and summarize all such equity-related resources in the 2019-2022 Port 345 budgets. These resources shall be calculated as a percent of the total operating 346 budget. 347 c. Propose a structure for communicating and executing a pilot for “equity-related 348 resources” in the 2024 budget to Commissioner Mohamed, Commissioner Cho, 349 and the Equity and Workforce Development Committee before the adoption of 350 the 2024 budget. The results of this pilot shall be considered for further action. 351 5. All Port departments shall utilize trainings and tools created by the Port’s Change Team 352 committees and OEDI to the greatest extent feasible to incorporate equity into their 353 respective programming and strategic planning. 354 a. Change Team members shall work with their manager and respective ELT 355 members to create alignment between training opportunities, tools, and new 356 programs with existing business and strategic planning processes and protocols 357 to the greatest extent possible. 358 6. OEDI shall support the growth of equity culture and practice among Port employees 359 through training and programming to deepen Port staff understanding, analysis and 360 awareness of systemic and institutionalized racism and anti-Black racism. 361 a. These trainings shall consist, at a minimum, of a mandatory annual racial equity 362 training for all Port employees. 363 b. Individuals in leadership or supervisory roles shall undertake at least one 364 training, orientation, or other learning opportunity to advance a culture of 365 belonging and inclusion per year in addition to the mandatory annual equity 366 training requirement. 367 368 C. External 369 370 1. The Port, with the approval of the Executive Director and Commission President, will 371 convene cohorts of community advisors as needed to provide opportunities for dialogue 372 to increase equity in Port policies, programs, and initiatives that directly affect advisors’ 373 communities. 374 a. External Relations and OEDI shall increase opportunities for community 375 participation by including language access plans and/or stipends for community 376 advisory activities as appropriate. Resolution No. 3812, Equity Policy Directive Page 10 of 12 377 b. These advisors shall reflect the interests of communities most directly affected 378 by Port operations and programs and shall include representatives from these 379 Port-impacted communities. 380 2. The Executive Director and the ELT, with support from OEDI, shall identify programs that 381 will undergo a closer review and analysis in order to advance Century Agenda equity 382 goals. 383 3. The Port shall pursue opportunities and partnerships to expand its portfolio of 384 community-based equity programs and investments that support quality of life, 385 workforce development, and/or economic development enhancements. 386 4. The Port shall pursue opportunities to partner with other governments to advance 387 equity initiatives. In particular, the Port shall seek opportunities to establish a leadership 388 role in the equity space in our relationships with other ports. This may include sharing 389 lessons learned, equity best practices, and other efforts. 390 391 D. Environmental Justice 392 1. To develop and implement expertise in environmental justice, the Executive Director and OEDI 393 shall: 394 Coordinate environmental justice efforts between the Port of Seattle Commission, External 395 Relations, Environment and Sustainability staff, and various Port environmental programs. 396 Convene a stakeholder group including representatives of near-Port communities to discuss 397 environmental justice principles. 398 Develop a draft set of environmental justice principles informed by this engagement. 399 Deliver an update to the Commission no later than Q1 of 2024 on the Port’s environmental justice 400 work. 401 402 SECTION 6. Program Evaluation. 403 404 The Executive Director, or a delegate, shall monitor and evaluate progress towards departmental 405 equity goals, equity objectives, and areas of emphasis outlined in the Port’s Century Agenda 406 Strategic Plan and resultant from prior Port assessments. This monitoring and evaluation shall 407 include but not be limited to the following: 408 1. In alignment with the Port’s business planning, a report to the Commission on an annual 409 basis, at a minimum including: 410 a. A summary of each department’s equity goals and progress made towards 411 achieving these equity goals. 412 b. Identification of the most significant emergent and/or ongoing barriers Port 413 employees face in fairly accessing resources and opportunities at the Port as 414 determined via OEDI and/or HR engagement. 415 c. Identification of continuous process improvement opportunities in contracting 416 with Community Based Organizations. This identification shall be informed by 417 engagement with community-based organizations, including at least one 418 listening session conducted by OEDI and/or External Relations. 419 420 Resolution No. 3812, Equity Policy Directive Page 11 of 12 421 2. Regular Port-wide data-gathering regarding progress towards equity outcomes and 422 implementing the equity practices identified in Port assessments. 423 a. Any data-gathering or reporting shall follow the Executive Director’s Protocol on 424 Port-wide Goal Establishment and Reporting. 425 b. Progress towards equity outcomes shall be measured by in-depth, qualitative 426 assessments (similar to the 2021 Equity Assessment) every four years, as well as 427 annual quantitative surveys of Port employee sentiment regarding equity 428 progress. 429 c. The results of these annual equity surveys and assessments shall be made public. 430 d. Progress towards implementing equity practices shall be monitored by OEDI 431 staff, who will gather information on the implementation of these practices 432 across the Port. 433 3. Internal Audit shall conduct an audit of the policy requirements outlined in this directive 434 on a periodic basis. 435 a. Internal Audit shall present the results of this audit to the Audit Committee as 436 well as the Commission Committee responsible for oversight of OEDI. 437 4. The Commission directs the Executive Director, or delegate, to review current and 438 proposed policies for equity impacts and to consult with the Commission to ensure 439 inclusive, open, and fair access by stakeholders in decision processes that impact 440 community. 441 442 Resolution No. 3812, Equity Policy Directive Page 12 of 12
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