The Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith has called upon city officials to conduct a per-award review of Jewish employment at the J.A. Jones Company in relation to Jones’ bid on a construction contract at Atlanta’s Hartsfield Airport. According to Stuart Lewengrub. ADL’s Southeastern regional director, the ADL is concerned about the employment policies of J.A. Jones because of what he certain demands of the Arab boycott.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on Jan. 21 that the Jones Company of Charlotte, North Carolina, was the apparent law bidder at $18,628,846 on a tunnel for the “people mover” at the airport’s planned midfield terminal. The ADL has received a commitment from the office of Mayor Maynard Jackson that a review will be done on the issues the ADL has raised prior to awarding any contract to the Jones Company.
Lewengrub said, “In Congressional committee testimony in June, 1976. Edwin L. Jones, the company’s president, testifying in behalf of the Associated General Contractors of America, had acknowledged that his own company dad been complying with the Arab boycott.”
Charles Wittenstein, the ADL’ s Southern counsel, noted that on June 11, the Charlotte Observer, reporting on Jones’ testimony, said that Jones had indicated “that economic considerations outweigh moral questions reised by the boycott.” Wittenstein added, “we are deeply concerned by Jones’ apparent willingness to discriminate at the request of the Arabs.”
Lewengrub and Wittenstein asked the city to do the same kind of pre-award review regarding the employment and placement of Jewish personnel that it normally dose for women and Blacks. In making its request to the city, ADL urged speedy and fair resolution of the issue to avoid additional delay in the airport expansion program.
The ADL spokeemen stated that the J,A. Jones Company “does a substantial amount of work in and with Saudi Arabia which is the leading practitioner and enforcer of the Arab boycott against American firms and individuals who support or do business with Israel.”
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