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(Washington) With nowhere to go but up, the sole company to receive a 'zero' on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index has amended its non-discrimination policy to include sexual orientation.
ALLTEL, the major cell phone, local phone, long-distance and internet service provider based in Little Rock, Ark made the change this month.
"This milestone reflects the continuing progress we've seen in corporate America," said Daryl Herrschaft, who runs the workplace advocacy project of the Human Rights Campaign.
"Companies are changing their policies to support gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees because it gives them a competitive advantage in recruitment, retention and productivity which translates into a better bottom line. But true success is reaching 100 percent. We will continue to advocate aggressively for gender identity protections and domestic partner health insurance to achieve more equitable workplaces."
The Corporate Equality Index (CEI) is an annual rating of companies' treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees, consumers, and investors.
ALLTEL was the only company to receive a rating of zero on the Human Rights Campaign's 2004 CEI released in September.
With ALLTEL's action, every company that has received a score of zero on the index since its inception in 2002 has taken steps to improve their workplace policies for GLBT employees.
ALLTEL's score is now a 29 on the 100 point scale. ALLTEL's shift in policy also came at the urging of its shareholders led by Walden Asset Management.
"ALLTEL can easily take the next steps by adding gender identity and expression to their non-discrimination policies and providing equitable health benefits to domestic partners of their employees," said Herrschaft.
The company's competitors, AT&T, BellSouth, Cingular, T-Mobile, SBC Communications and Verizon all have non-discrimination policies and health benefits that include gay and lesbian employees.
ALLTEL's decision brings to 410 - or 82 percent - the number of Fortune 500 companies that include sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policies. Forty-eight Fortune 500 companies include gender identity and expression in their non-discrimination policies.
©365Gay.com 2004
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