FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: MELINDA SHELTON, 767; DIANE MINOR, x773

NOW APPLAUDS CLINTON APPOINTMENT OF ALLY ALEXIS HERMAN

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1996

NOW leaders say President Clinton's nomination of Alexis Herman as Secretary of Labor is a triply good choice -- an experienced advocate for labor, an African-American woman and an ally of many progressive causes. Herman had the strong backing of NOW and many other groups.

"President Clinton has put the right person in the right place at the right time," said NOW Executive Vice President Kim Gandy. "With race and sex discrimination still so prevalent in the corporate culture, it will be good to start the New Year with someone who has a firm grasp on how to address those issues."

NOW leaders strongly urged Clinton to name Herman, who had extensive contact with NOW leaders in her years as White House public liaison director and previously served as director of the Women's Bureau in the Labor Department. "She has given women's rights advocates an ear and a voice within the administration, and will do the same on behalf of working women everywhere as she returns to the Labor Department," Gandy said.