Date: Tue, 7 Dec 1999 15:37:35 -0500 From: David Elliot Subject: [NGLTF PRESS] NGLTF calls for dialogue with Exxon Mobile NATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN TASK FORCE PRESS RELEASE Contact: David Elliot, Communications Director 202-332-6483 ext. 3303 800-757-6476 pager delliot@ngltf.org http://www.ngltf.org 1700 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC ********************************************* NGLTF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR KERRY LOBEL CALLS FOR DIALOGUE WITH EXXON MOBIL CORP. OIL COMPANY'S DECISION TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST DOMESTIC PARTNERS WILL NOT STAND, LOBEL WARNS. "EQUALITY BEGINGS AT HOME - AND IN THE WORKPLACE," SHE SAYS Dec. 7, 1999 - The decision by Exxon Mobil Corp. to deny domestic partner benefits to newly hired employees should serve as a wake-up call to every consumer and every worker concerned about the democratic notion of workplace equity, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force said Tuesday. Exxon Mobil officials said Monday that the company will only extend domestic partner benefits to both same-sex and opposite-sex former Mobil employees who were receiving benefits before the two companies merged. Workers who were with Exxon before the merger will continue to be ineligible to receive the benefits, as will newly hired workers by Exxon Mobil. "The movement for domestic partnership benefits is rooted in the democratic notion of equal pay for equal work," said NGLTF Executive Director Kerry Lobel, who on Tuesday called on Exxon Mobil officials to meet with representatives of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered movement to discuss the new policy. "Benefits comprise approximately 40 percent of a worker's compensation. This means that Exxon Mobile's decision to withhold domestic partner benefits puts the oil giant squarely at odds with the notion of economic justice in the workplace. Consumers should remember this injustice when they choose where to spend their hard-earned dollars. Equality begins at home - and in the workplace." Lobel noted that other oil companies - Amoco, Chevron and Shell - offer domestic partner benefits. Chevron was a recent sponsor of Creating Change, the annual training and skills-building conference sponsored by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Lobel predicted that the decision by Exxon Mobil will hurt the company in two ways. First, consumers who support workplace equity may decide to take their business elsewhere. Second, current and potential employees may decide to join companies that offer better benefits. "There are more than 4.5 million unmarried couples living together in the United States," Lobel said. "One-third of these are same-sex couples, but the rest are not. These families have chosen to define their own family structures for themselves. More and more companies every day are recognizing our society's changing family structures by altering their benefits packages to meet the needs of a changing workforce. Exxon-Mobil has turned back the clock and slapped 4.5 million Americans and its more than 100,000 employees in the face - and in the pocketbook." The Policy Institute of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force earlier this year published the Domestic Partnership Organizing Manual. This 140-page publication demonstrates how to effectively lobby for domestic partner benefits in the workplace. To download or for purchasing information, please visit http://www.ngltf.org/pub.html ____________________________________________________________________ Founded in 1973, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force works to eliminate prejudice, violence and injustice against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people at the local, state and national level. As part of a broader social justice movement for freedom, justice and equality, NGLTF is creating a world that respects and celebrates the diversity of human expression and identity where all people may fully participate in society. _________________________________________ This message was issued by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Communications Department. If you have a question regarding this post, please direct it to the contact at the top of this message. To reach the NGLTF Communications Department at NGLTF, please call David Elliot, Communications Director, at 202-332-6483 x3303 or pager 800-757-6476. If you wish to UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, please send an email with "UNSUBSCRIBE PRESSLIST" in the subject and body of your email message to . You may also unsubscribe by visiting http://www.ngltf.org.