This was pulled from a posting on our internal bulletin board:

>From Laura.Taylor@East Fri Feb 21 13:34:58 1992
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 92 16:31:03 EST

Date: 	Fri, 21 Feb 1992 13:10:10 PST
>From: Al_Lewis.ES_XC15@xerox.com
Subject: Levi Strauss become first Fortune 500 to Offer Domestic Partners Benefits
To: Lambda.All_Areas@xerox.com
Cc: Al_Lewis.ES_XC15@xerox.com, BVidal.STHQ@xerox.com,
        noglstp@elroy.Jpl.Nasa.Gov, SFM@post.att.com, RKS.ES_XC15@xerox.com
Reply-To: Al_Lewis.ES_XC15@xerox.com
Sender: noglstp-request@elroy.Jpl.Nasa.Gov
Status: RO


A friend of mine in Human Resources Levi Strauss called today to tell me the
good news that Levi Strauss and Company has announced today that it is
extending benefits to domestic partners (gay, lesbian, and straight).  The
action was approved by the Board of directors last week.  The benefits are
exactly the same as those for legally married couples, including health and
life insurance.  The definition of Domestic Partner that Levi Strauss has
choosen is based on two unmarried people living together in a committed
relationship and that the two be interdependent on each other.  All one needs
to do is tell their personnel coordinator on a standard beneficiary form that
the relationship exist.

Levi Strauss becomes the first Fortune 500 company to offer Domestic Partner
Benefits.

Actuarial data was hard to develop for a company with over 25,000 employees
since the only examples preiouly existing are relative small organizations like
the City of West Hollywood (CA), City of Berkley (CA), Ben and Jerry's Ice
Cream, and Lotus Development.  Hewett and Associates developed an actuarial and
expected expense plan for Levi Strauss.

Group Insurance Carriers and HMO's were willing to work with Levi Strauss on
redefining the various benefits to include Domestic Partners.

At Levi Strauss, tax consequences of Domestic Partner benefits are to be paid
by the employee (these occur because the US Tax Code and the various states do
not recognize Domestic Partners).

Management meeting are being held at all Levi Strauss locations today to
explain the new benefit package.  Most of the companies operations and most of
the covered employees are in the American Southeast and Southwest (mostly small
cities and towns like Knoxville, Tennessee and Valdosta, Gerogia).  Less than
1% of the companies employess work in the San Francisco headquarters.

ADDRESS FOR LEVI STRAUSS & CO

Levi Strauss & Co.
Levi's Plaza
1155 Battery
San Francisco, CA 94111