In this article, in the May 2000 issue of Latin Trade, Thierry Ogier highlights the effort of some labor unions and state governments to initiate affirmative action plans for Brazil''s women, older workers, and citizens of African descent. U.S. companies are credited with starting the movement, and indications are that those about to enter the market have plans of their own. There are reservations, however. A prominent Afro-Brazilian journalist cautions that affirmative action plans will be difficult to implement since race relations in Brazil are much more complicated than in the U.S., and a top official in the federal Labor Ministry terms such plans "extreme measures." The reporter also reveals that age discrimination runs rampant in Brazil, where only 15% of company presidents, 11% of the directors, 4.2% of managers and 1.6 % of supervisors are over 50.