§ 556.9 - PO employment and membership practices.

(a) POs must follow all labor laws that apply to private sector employment. POs will not be allowed to operate on DA installations if their employment practices discriminate based on—

(1) Sex, age, religion, race, color, national origin, or marital status;

(2) Lawful political affiliation;

(3) Labor organization membership; or

(4) Physical handicaps.

(b) POs will not discriminate in membership on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, or religion. This does not preclude the existence of religious, cultural, or ethnic POs when—

(1) Their membership is not restricted or discriminatory;

(2) Similar religious, cultural, or ethnic POs are approved without preference.

(c) The installation commander may approve the operation of certain POs that restrict membership to one sex. One or more of the following must apply:

(1) The PO's purpose if philanthropic and, by tradition, its membership has been of one sex.

(2) The PO's purpose and function is to benefit one sex, and its membership is composed of that sex. (Examples are scouting organizations or women's and men's sports associations.)

(3) The PO has a specific purpose and function that restricts membership to one sex, but also has a counterpart organization with the same purpose and function. (Examples are women's and men's sports clubs, women's and men's civic associations, boy/girl scouting organizations.)

(d) PO membership compaigns and recruitment practices will neither involve nor give the appearance of involving compulsion, coercion, or influence. (See AR 600-50 and AR 600-20.) Prohibited activities include the following:

(1) Repeated petitions, orientations, or counseling of persons who have chosen not to join a PO.

(2) Use of membership statistics by supervisors to influence nonmembers.

(3) Compilation of by-name lists of nonmembers.