January 20, 2016
To the Editor:
We are greatly disappointed that the Birmingham News published the Sunday,
January 17, 2016 story, “Temp agency workers detail pressure to discriminate at
Alabama-based temp agency,” without offering Automation Personnel Services
the opportunity to comment. Automation Personnel Services was never contacted
for a response to the claims made in this article, even though we have had a
business relationship with the Birmingham News since 2012 where we regularly
supply temporary employees.
In this article a Birmingham-area business is attacked by a San Francisco-based
reporter, and the newspaper made no attempt to give us an opportunity to verify
or deny his inflammatory allegations. We believe and expect that news media will
make good-faith efforts to publish balanced reporting rather than one-sided,
unsubstantiated claims.
The allegations made about Automation defy the core values of our company:
hard work, honesty and fairness. We have a strict, zero-tolerance policy against
discrimination, which is illegal and immoral. Minority employees make up 84
percent of our temporary workforce and 45 percent of our staff employees.
The article also alleges that our customers ask us to discriminate. Nothing could
be further from the truth. Our customers seek employees with the skills needed
to get the job done, and to that end we deliver the most qualified individuals
available.
When the reporter told us of allegations from anonymous sources, we launched
an extensive, voluntary internal investigation led by a former prosecutor with
over 15 years of investigative experience. We found no evidence of wrongdoing.
The published article then contained additional information that was not
previously disclosed to us, including names and dates associated with the
allegations. The former employees who made their allegations never brought
them to management’s attention, either during their employment or after their
separation.

 The article implies that we do not offer opportunities to African-American
employees. It then goes on to note that 57 percent of our workforce is, in fact,
African-American. These statements are contradictory.
While we strongly believe the allegations to be untrue, we are launching a new
investigation by an independent third party with the support of a national law
firm. This is a matter of due diligence. We are fiercely committed to maintaining
the reputation we have earned for treating everyone with honor, dignity and
respect. We want to assure our employees and our customers that we will
investigate any and all allegations of discriminatory hiring practices.
Over 25 years, Automation has built a workforce of over 30,000 employees, and
our largest concentration of customers is in Alabama. The article inappropriately
and inaccurately references and associates Automation with discriminatory
actions by staffing companies in states where we do not do business.
While senior management has made every effort to create an environment that
makes it possible to report violations of company policy, we realize that it may be
intimidating to some to contact them directly. For that reason, we are creating a
“hot line” whereby employees can anonymously report concerns without fear of
retribution. We will continue to make improvements to our processes to make
sure that all employees are treated fairly and with respect.
Stephen Nordness
Chief Executive Officer