| Related Links |
|
Pepco writes to Cheh on new Domestic Partner policy 03/14/07 GLAA thanks Washington Gas for domestic partner benefits 02/27/07 Cheh urges PEPCO to adopt domestic partner benefits 02/23/07 GLAA endorses Betty Ann Kane for Public Service Commission 02/21/07 GLAA protests rate increases by PEPCO and Washington Gas Light 01/03/07 GLAA urges PEPCO to adopt DP benefits 07/17/06 GLAA urges Washington Gas Light to adopt DP benefits 07/17/06 Turn out the lights on Pepco (Rosenstein, The Washington Blade) 07/07/06 |
GLAA is a Lambda Rising Affiliate! Click here and we'll get a commission on every item you purchase. |
Cheh thanks PEPCO for adopting domestic partner benefits
March 15, 2007
Mr. Thomas H. Graham
President, PEPCO Region
Pepco Holdings, Inc.
701 9th Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20068
Dear Mr. Graham:
Thank you for your March 14, 2007 response to my letter of February 23, 2007, in which I urged Pepco to provide health insurance benefits so that domestic partners have the same benefits that married couples receive. I take great heart in reading that beginning July 1, Pepco Holdings, Inc. will provide domestic partner benefits to all active employees.
As you recall, this issue came to my attention during a February 26 performance oversight hearing of the Committee on Public Services and Consumer Affairs, which I chair. In his testimony, Craig Howell of the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance (GLAA) criticized Pepco for failing to provide equivalent benefits to employees in domestic partnerships. As you know, I feel very strongly that private corporations such as Pepco should treat all employees equally, and this includes equal benefits in domestic partnerships.
I am very pleased that Pepco’s decision will reverberate beyond the District. As your letter points out, Pepco Holdings, Inc. also operates in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia. This is a fundamentally important change that will pave the way for thousands of PHI employees throughout the mid-Atlantic region to have equal benefits for medical care, prescription drugs, and mental, dental, and vision treatment.
This is a dramatic and progressive step and I applaud Pepco for moving toward equal treatment of all its employees. If you would like to discuss this further, please do not hesitate to contact me at 202-724-8062.
Sincerely,
Mary M. Cheh
Councilmember, Ward 3
Chairperson, Committee on Public Services and Consumer Affairs
cc: Mr. Craig Howell, GLAA
Mr. Vincent B. Orange, Pepco
Councilmember Marion Barry, Ward 8
Councilmember Kwame Brown, At-Large
Councilmember Jim Graham, Ward 1
Councilmember Tommy Wells, Ward 6
