NEWS RELEASE
Thursday, April 15, 2004                       

EQUALITY MARYLAND
Contact: Dan Furmansky, Executive Director
Phone:    Office 410-685-6567
Cell    301-461-4900
Email:    dan@equalitymaryland.org

COLLEGE PARK COUNCIL MEMBERS APPROVE DOMESTIC PARTNER BENEFITS FOR CITY EMPLOYEES

County and State Governments Should Follow Suit and Recognize Equal Pay For Equal Work, Group Says

BALTIMORE ––Equality Maryland, Maryland’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, applauded legislators on the College Park City Council who voted in favor of domestic partner benefits for city employees. On Tuesday, the Council voted 6-2 to include same-sex domestic partners in city personnel regulations regarding health insurance benefits and family leave privileges. College Park joins Greenbelt as the second jurisdiction in Prince George’s County to offer domestic partner benefits. Other Maryland jurisdictions that offer equal benefits include Montgomery County, and the cities of Baltimore, Rockville, and Takoma Park.

“All across the country, gay and lesbian employees face discrimination in workplace benefits because they are not unable to obtain a marriage license," said Executive Director Dan Furmansky. “Without domestic partner benefits, a significant portion of overall employee compensation is unattainable for gay and lesbian workers. We commend District 3 Councilman Eric Olson, City Director of Human Resources Carole Sheringham and City Attorney Suellen Ferguson for shepherding this resolution and recognizing that equal pay for equal work is sound business practice.”

Several Maryland-based Fortune 500 companies offer domestic partner benefits, including Lockheed Martin, Allegheny Energy, Host Marriott, and Marriott International. More than 40 other companies in Maryland offer domestic partner benefits, including Sodhexo, Allfirst Financial, Goodwill Industries Intl., Northrup Grumman and Gazette Newspapers. Ten states offer health insurance benefits to the partners of state employees.

"I am proud of my colleagues on the College Park City Council for approving domestic partner benefits,” said Councilman Eric Olson, sponsor of the resolution. “It is a matter of basic fairness to provide benefits to the families of gay and lesbian employees in loving, committed relationships." Because same-sex couples are not recognized as family, they are left out from a number of important benefits in the workplace. Same-sex partners are not covered under the Family and Medical Leave Act to take unpaid leave to care for their sick partner, nor can they receive extended healthcare coverage for partners through the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1995 (COBRA). Even when health insurance benefits are offered to same-sex partners, the employee taking advantage of these benefits is taxed on the benefits by both the state and federal governments.

Workplace benefits, according to some studies, can comprise as much as 40 percent of overall compensation for employment.

“Having worked for County government for ten years, I really hope they follow suit,” said Prince George’s County Employee Kathy Schooley. “I am still denied the right to obtain health insurance coverage for my partner of ten years. How is that not discrimination when I work just as hard as any other employee?”

###

Equality Maryland is Maryland's largest civil rights organization, focused on making life better for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens of Maryland.   Equality Maryland works to secure and protect the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Marylanders by promoting legislative initiatives on the state, county and municipal levels and educating the public about the issues faced by our diverse community.

Equality Maryland can be found online at www.equalitymaryland.org