In an effort to examine the role of international and local nonreferral unions in advancing the job status of minorities and women, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) conducted a national survey of unions and employers and completed a legal analysis of the duty of unions to represent their members fairly. Among the key findings of the study were the following: (1) the unions surveyed were either unaware of or did not oppose the use of selection procedures that may have an adverse effect on the job advancement of minorities and women; (2) women and minorities are severely underrepresented in leadership positions in the surveyed unions; and (3) those unions surveyed have a mixed record in the establishment of programs designed to ensure equal opportunity in the workplace. Based on the study, the EEOC urges unions to increase representation of minorities and women in all levels of leadership; develop a Title VII compliance program; initiate collective bargaining to remove discriminatory provisions from their agreements; work with employers to establish voluntary affirmative action plans; and, in the event of employer recalcitrance, be prepared to file charges alleging employer discrimination and refusal to bargain. (MN)