American Airlines Presses Business Case for Equal Fed. Employee Benefits
July 8, 2009
Ed. Note: This post by Wesley Combs is part of a regular column from HRC’s Business Council spotlighting LGBT workplace news.
As the Director of Diverse Segment Marketing at American Airlines and a proud member of HRC’s Business Council, Betty Young had a first-hand chance today to find out how much it means to her to work for a company that supports equality for all employees – including those who are LGBT.
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- American Airline's Carolyn Wright
She accompanied one of American’s top human resource executives, Carolyn Wright, to Washington, D.C., today as she testified [pdf] on behalf of American Airlines at a Congressional hearing considering the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2009. American Airlines was invited to join Representative Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry to appear at a legislative hearing held by the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. With American’s consistent 100% score on the Corporate Equality Index and a record that supports inclusion and equality– the Congress hopes to learn more from American’s experience, and to adopt many of the best practices by U.S. companies in treating their LGBT workforce fairly, as they consider extending domestic partner benefits to federal workers. American Airlines has a long history of promoting diversity inside its company. As the first major airline to offer benefits to the same-sex partners of its employees as it had long done for married spouses, American recognizes the importance of treating employees in committed same-sex relationships with equal respect and acceptance for the true worth and unique experiences and skills they bring to their jobs. “As a lesbian and a mother, it has made me even more committed to the company I serve,” said Betty Young.
