BRIEF: Panelists look at rights in workplace

But last week's forum, organized to discuss rights in the workplace, drew less than twenty students, disappointing the organizer who said he had expected the meeting to have a large appeal. The seminar, led by National Task Force on Civil Liberties in the Work Place Coordinator Lewis Maltby, addressed several issues that future business managers could face. The task force is a segment of the American Civil Liberties Union, a national organization that is dedicated to promoting individual rights. Many of the speeches directly addressed students -- several of whom said they may become leaders in the corporate world. The seminar began with Maltby -- a 1969 College graduate and 1973 Law School graduate -- who cautioned the audience to be aware of horrible abuses of corporate power, and described the plight of one person who was denied a job in California when he refused to answer questions concerning his sex life and bathroom habits on a pre-employment personality test. "The founding father's put all the restraints on the government, because that's where the power [was]," Maltby said. "Unfortunately, many corporations use this power to violate people's rights." He said that approximately one million employees have their telephone calls monitored without their knowledge. Nationwide, the ACLU receives more complaints regarding business violations than those committed by the government, Maltby added. The University's Vice President for Human Resources Barbara Butterfield spoke next. She said she believes there is a sacred contract between employers and employees, adding that both have a commitment to each other. "If drugs are decreasing production, then the employee is violating their contract with the employer," Butterfield said. The seminar was sponsored by the Wharton Public Policy Club. -- Stephen Glass

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