General Motors is basically following the Obama administration’s lead and extending marriage benefits to all of its workers in legal same-sex marriages, even those who live in states without marriage equality:
“This decision is in line with GM’s efforts to find, keep and grow the world’s best talent and to offer our employees policies and benefits that are competitive with many of the largest and best-managed industrial companies in the U.S.,” said GM’s Chief Diversity Officer Ken Barrett in a statement sent to The Huffington Post.The changes will include pension plans, savings plans and health care plans for legally married same-sex couples.
To qualify, couples do have to have been married in one of the 14 and soon to be 15 states that have instituted marriage equality, meaning some couples will have to travel significant distances to get married. On the other hand, the cost of the trip will be offset by the benefits GM is now offering. The move is especially significant given that GM’s plants are overwhelmingly located in states like Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana that have explicitly banned same-sex marriage.
This article was originally printed on Daily Kos Labor on November 6, 2013. Reprinted with permission.
About the Author: Laura Clawson is the labor editor at Daily Kos.
