Atlanta Stripped of 'Men at Work' Signs After Complaints of Bias

Political correctness rules the road in Atlanta — which is replacing all its "Men at Work" signs with gender-neutral ones after a women's magazine editor complained of bias.

The project, which involves painting over the existing 50 "Men at Work" and "Men Working" signs with those that say simply "Workers Ahead" or "Workers," will cost a total of $1,000, Atlanta Public Works Commissioner Joe Basista told FOXNews.com.

About half of the city's 100 Public Works employees are women, said Basista, so he complied with PINK magazine editor Cynthia Good's request to stop warning passersby of men at work when women were right there alongside them.

"It seemed like the right thing to do," Basista said.

The change-over, which Basista wants to complete by the end of the month, has met with little resistance so far, he said.

But it could raise eyebrows when Good goes national with her crusade — which she's planning to do.

"We're calling on the rest of the nation to follow suit and make a statement that we will not accept these subtle forms of discrimination," she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The city will have to shell out an additional $144 per new sign ordered in the future, Basista said. But the $1,000 initial cost to paint over the existing ones is not a big hit to the Public Works budget, especially since national industry guidelines suggest gender-neutral road signs, according to the commissioner.

"We hadn't really thought about it before," said Basista. "I said, let's do it. We're changing the signs now. We're hoping to encourage others to follow."

The "Men at Work" roadway warnings were used throughout Atlanta and would often be posted where women were toiling next to their male counterparts.

The project was launched on Thursday, according to Basista.

Some female Public Works employees complained about the male-focused signs years ago, according to city union leader Gina Pagnotta.

"It is a little bit biased to say 'Men Working,'" she told the Journal-Constitution. "Women are working, too."

Click here for more on this story from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.