The Nation - News from March 25, 1988

With little fanfare, the government put into effect an AIDS policy that prohibits discrimination against infected federal workers and allows disciplining of those who refuse to work alongside AIDS victims. Anthony Ingrassia of the Office of Personnel Management said each of the more than 100 federal agencies, which employ a total of 2.1 million people, must decide how to tailor and implement the five-page policy. The federal policy stresses that infected employees should be allowed to work “as long as they are able to maintain acceptable performance and do not pose a safety or health threat.” Also, infected workers must be treated “in the same manner as employees who suffer from other serious illnesses.” Employees, under the policy, may not use a medical basis for refusing to work with a co-worker with AIDS.