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Urge public employers to keep their DP benefits intact!
On February 2nd, 2007 the Michigan Court of Appeals released the most anti-GLBT ruling in Michigan's history. The Court held that the 2004 Michigan Constitutional amendment banning marriage equality also prohibits public employers in Michigan (such as cities, school districts, community college and universities) from being able to offer domestic partnership benefits. These benefits are often used to provide important resources such as health care to public employee's partners and their partner's children. This is your opportunity to contact the leadership of public employers who have not yet announced what they are going to do regarding DP Benefits. There are options available to them and we'd like to help them utilize these options so that their employees will continue to have access to these important benefits.
Dear [ Decision Maker ] , As you are probably aware, the Michigan Appeals Court ruled in February that a new constitutional definition of marriage, prohibits public employers from offering domestic partner benefits, but still allows them to offer benefits to unmarried employees through different criteria. Many public employers across the state, and certainly people receiving domestic partner benefits are very concerned about this potential roadblock to adequate health insurance for thousands of employees across the state. Although this court decision is horrible, it is on appeal and may be overturned by the Michigan Supreme Court. In the meantime all public employers can continue offering benefits if they do so with different criteria. We strongly urge you to do what other employers such as U of M, MSU and the city of Kalamazoo are doing, by meeting with advocates for these benefits to make sure no one loses their health insurance. ACLU of Michigan, Triangle Foundation and Michigan Equality have offered to work with your institution to help. Please strongly consider reaching out to them through Jay Kaplan at the ACLU. He can be reached at kaplan@aclumich.org or 313-578-6812. Thank you for considering this offer and we hope you will not let this devastating decision hurt your employees more than it already has.
Sincerely, |
Campaign Launched: |
| Background Information |
Michigan is the first state in the US to have such an anti-family court ruling made. This ruling puts hundreds of Michigan children, and their parents, without health care. This ruling has also been idenfied by organizations such as the American Family Association as something they would like to use as justification for taking domestic partnership benefits away from public employees in other states as well. We must send a clear message now that this cannot be allowed to happen.
