Tomorrow the Wilton Manors City Commission will be holding a discussion on a proposed equal benefits ordinance. An equal benefits ordinance (EBO) would require that contractors that do business with the city offer the same benefits to domestic partners that they offer to married spouses. Recently, Broward County and Hallandale Beach passed similar policies.
1. What an Equal Benefits Ordinance does:
● An Equal Benefits Ordinance (EBO) requires businesses that contract with the city to provide
employees' domestic partners with benefits equal to those offered to spouses of married
employees.
● If a company does not currently provide benefits to the spouses of their employees then they are
not required to provide benefits to the domestic partners of their employees.
● Benefits might include bereavement leave, access to health care plans and family medical leave.
● In recent years EBOs have been adopted as state law in California, and in the cities of San
Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Olympia, Minneapolis, Portland and Atlanta. In Florida,
Miami Beach, Key West and Broward County have passed EBOs.
2. Why EBOs are important:
● Domestic partner coverage is available, it typically costs the company nothing, and domestic
partners need these protections for the same reason married couples do to
take care of their
loved ones.
● By and large this policy won't cost employers a penny. And under this policy, no company
would be required to change insurance carriers.
● It won't cost anything extra to a company that does not pay for benefits for their employees
spouses. And it won't impact companies that do not want a contract with the city.
● If a company has two long time employees, one who is married and one who has a domestic
partner don't they both deserve to be able to take leave if their partner becomes gravely ill or dies.
Shouldn't both families be allowed to buy health coverage for their children through their
company?
3. Williams Institute Study:
"Local ordinances that require city and county contractors to offer domestic partner benefits such as health
insurance coverage have no adverse economic or other impact on the governments, the contractors or the
economy as a whole. In fact, research shows that there are actually economic benefits associated with
passing what is known as an equal benefits ordinance (EBO). This study evaluated data from 16 of the 17
localities with EBOs and found almost no resistance from contractors, almost no enforcement costs and no
other adverse effects. The ordinances simply require that any benefits a local contractor provides to spouses
of employees also be provided to domestic partners.” Read the whole study here:
http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/research/workplace/locallawsrequiringgovernmentcontractorsequaldpbenefits
4. Key West Policy
http://www.keywestcity.com/egov/docs/1330355237_337738.pdf
5. Broward Policy
In section 16 1/2: http://www.broward.org/Purchasing/Documents/DomesticPartnership.pdf
For more information regarding Equal Benefits Ordinances, please contact Mallory Wells at
mallory@eqfl.org.
bina fink, binafink.com, bina fink kohl, bina kohl fink,Bina Kohl Bina Fink Kohl public relations
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