ExxonMobil Adds LGBT Protections

JMG reader Mike forwards us yesterday's message from ExxonMobil's LGBT employee group, which notes that the company's board of directors has approved the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes. In July 2014 ExxonMobil announced that it would comply with President Obama's executive order regarding companies with federal contracts, but at that time a company spokesman would not say if that compliance would mean a formal change to ExxonMobil's equal employment opportunity policy. ExxonMobil's shareholders had long rejected such a change, voting it down for 17 consecutive years and earning the lavish praise of Tony Perkins, who will surely have the sadz about today's news.

Take That, Putin

Russia can tear down their monument to Steve Jobs because Apple CEO Tim Cook has come out, but that won't save their stock market. Via the Telegraph:

Apple is now worth more than Russia's stock market, new data have revealed. The US technology giant's market capitalisation has overtaken the combined value of all Russian public companies for the first time in history, Bloomberg reported. Apple, the world's most valuable company, has added $147bn to its market cap this year and was worth $652bn as of November 12. The shares closed up 1.2pc to $114.18 each on Friday. Russian equities have fallen $234bn to $531bn in the same period, Bloomberg data stated. Apple, led by Tim Cook, has being going from strength to strength in recent months, culminating in the release of the company's latest smartphones in September - the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Mr Cook revealed earlier this year that his company is also working on products that "haven't been rumoured about yet". Meanwhile, Russia has been struggling to cope with a falling ruble and tough Western sanctions as a result of its conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Just let that sink in. An out gay man oversees the company whose value exceeds all of the companies on the stock market of the world's most famously anti-gay nation. I think that calls for a "neener, neener." At least.

RELATED: In other gay-related business news, pro-LGBT Microsoft has unseated ExxonMobil as the world's second-most valuable corporation. The energy giant's slide to third place comes as oil prices continue to sag worldwide. For 17 consecutive years the shareholders of ExxonMobil refused to enact workplace protections for its LGBT employees. Only in July of this year did the company grudgingly agree to comply with President Obama's executive order protecting the LGBT employees of companies that contract with the federal government. Fourth place Google, not incidentally, is now poised to overtake ExxonMobil. If that happens, the world's top three corporations will be aggressively pro-LGBT tech firms. Neener.

TEXAS: ExxonMobil Agrees To Comply With LGBT Employment Executive Order

After many years of refusing to include LGBT employees in their anti-discrimination policies, ExxonMobil, the world's largest energy corporation, has announced that it will comply with the executive order signed by President Obama just 48 hours ago. Via the Associated Press:

Exxon, which according to government records won more than $480 million in federal contracts in 2013 and more than $8 billion since 2006, has long resisted pressure from civil rights groups and shareholders to enumerate such protections in its formal policy. The world's biggest oil and gas company by market value will continue to "abide by the law," spokesman Alan Jeffers said Tuesday. He wouldn't say if that meant changing the language in the company's formal equal employment opportunity policy, but stressed that Exxon prohibits "discrimination on any basis." n May, Exxon shareholders voted down a proposal for the 15th consecutive year to add such language to its equal employment opportunity statement, maintaining that the business standards stated on a company web site ensure protections without having to specifically name them.

Even after all those years of dogged refusals by ExxonMobil's shareholders, there was surely little doubt that the company would comply with the executive order. But this particular announcement, coming from the largest employer in Texas, and coming so soon after the order's signing, is surely a loud signal to all the other federal contractors. I suspect some well-staged coordination. And that's a good thing.

Tony Perkins Praises ExxonMobile

"It won't change the price of gas, but it may comfort you to know that at ExxonMobil, your business isn't fueling radical pro-homosexual policies. Despite outside pressure, ExxonMobil is holding the line on its workplace ethics -- a 17-year streak that remained intact after last week's shareholders meeting. In a corporate environment that seems to be dictated by pro-homosexual progressives, ExxonMobil hasn't budged on its opposition to making "sexual orientation" a special protected class. In typical totalitarian fashion, liberals are moving to plan B: demanding ExxonMobil's compliance. Fortunately, not every business is going down without a fight. ExxonMobil's consistent refusal shows that corporate America is not going the Left's direction without government interference." - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, via press release.

ExxonMobil Rejects LGBT Workplace Protections For 17th Consecutive Year

Via the Washington Blade:

For the 17th time, Exxon Mobil shareholders rejected a resolution that would have instituted new policy within the oil-and-gas giant to prohibit discrimination against LGBT workers. According to the company, only 19.5 percent of shareholders voted to approve the proposed resolution at their annual meeting on Wednesday, which this year took place in Dallas, Texas. The resolution would have incorporated LGBT non-discrimination language in the oil-and-gas giant’s equal employment opportunity policy. This year, as in previous years, the resolution was sponsored by New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. The resolution was one of eight measures to come up at the meeting; only three were approved by shareholders.

Freedom To Work reacts:

“An executive order by President Barack Obama would force Exxon Mobil to adopt LGBT workplace protections in order to continue profiting from hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded contracts,” Almeida said. “Exxon’s leadership has rejected these common-sense nondiscrimination policies year after year, even though their competitors at Chevron and BP understand that banning discrimination is good for business. It’s time for presidential leadership to move Exxon to accept the American value that everybody deserves a fair shot in the workplace.”

The company did institute domestic partners benefits following last year's partial overturn of DOMA.

ExxonMobil To Offer Same-Sex Benefits

ExxonMobil, long one of the largest corporate holdouts on LGBT equality, today announced that it will extend spousal benefits to gay employees.

The company says it will recognize "all legal marriages" when it determines eligibility for health care plans for the company's 77,000 employees and retirees in the U.S. That means if a gay employee has been married in a state or country where gay marriage is legal, his or her spouse will be eligible for benefits with Exxon in the U.S. as of Oct. 1. Exxon, which is facing a same-sex discrimination complaint in Illinois, said it was following the lead of the U.S. government. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, which had allowed states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages granted in other states. In recent months, federal agencies have begun to offer benefits to legally-married same sex couples. "We haven't changed our eligibility criteria. It has always been to follow the federal definition and it will continue to follow the federal definition," said Exxon spokesman Alan Jeffers in an interview.

Freedom To Work reacts via press release:

"Today is a victory for the freedom to work. After years of stubbornly refusing, we commend Exxon for joining the majority of the Fortune 500 business leaders that already treat gay and lesbian married couples equally under employee benefit plans," said Tico Almeida, founder and president of the LGBT organization Freedom to Work. "It's a shame Exxon waited until after the Labor Department issued official guidance explaining that their old policy does not comply with American law, and now it's time to move forward."

"We'd like to begin settlement talks next week in our Illinois lawsuit stemming from evidence that Exxon gave hiring preference to a less qualified straight applicant over a more qualified lesbian applicant," added Almeida. "It's time for Exxon to stop wasting its shareholders' money by running up legal bills on discrimination proceedings that can be settled right away if the corporation would simply add LGBT protections to Exxon's official equal employment opportunity document."

The Human Rights Campaign notes that the company still does not include LGBT employees in its official non-discrimination policies.

Granting health benefits to all married couples is a step toward equality but it is certainly not the kind of leadership exhibited by ExxonMobil’s competitors,” said Deena Fidas, director of the HRC Workplace Equality Program. “There is no federal law protecting employees from discrimination against sexual orientation or gender identity and ExxonMobil refuses to join the majority of their Fortune 500 colleagues in adopting their own such policies. One has to wonder, what good are benefits for your same-sex spouse if you risk being fired for disclosing your sexual orientation in order to access them?”

FRC Applauds ExxonMobil

"While other businesses drift away from their principles or capitulate under pressure, Exxon is putting its stock in something other than political correctness.  For the 14th straight year, shareholders voted to maintain their reputation as a company that upholds the commonsense principle that managers should be able to determine what conduct contributes to and what conduct detracts from the effective performance of an employee's duties. The four to one margin against the resolution is a strong indication that the homosexual community's agenda is not resonating beyond the most liberal states.  Exxon is setting a good example for other businesses who think promoting extreme political views is the only away to avoid the strong arm tactics of far left special interests." - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, writing for the blog of the Family Research Council.

TEXAS: ExxonMobil Shareholders Reject Protections For LGBT Employees

The Dallas Voice has the unsurprising news:

Shareholders voted to reject a resolution, 81 percent to 19 percent, from the New York state comptroller calling for the company’s Board of Directors to add sexual orientation and gender identity/expression to the oil giant’s EEO policy. The 19 percent support for the resolution reportedly was the lowest ever. George Wong addressed the shareholders on behalf of the New York State Common Retirement Fund. He presented the business argument that the company should recruit from and retain the widest possible talent pool. Failure to do that leads to less efficient business operations. Most Fortune 500 companies do have inclusive nondiscrimination policies including most other major oil companies, he said. He said ExxonMobil does not accept the validity of New York state marriage licenses if the employee is gay. “That is not acceptable to us,” Wong said.

This was the 14th consecutive year in which shareholders rejected protections for LGBT employees.