Home Media Center News Releases

Washington, D.C.—The nation’s largest independent union of federal employees today reiterated its support for legislation that would make available employee benefit programs to the same sex domestic partners or spouses of federal workers to the same extent as those benefits cover opposite sex spouses of federal employees.

“This important measure is about fairness and making the federal government a competitive employer with the majority of the largest companies in America,” said President Colleen M. Kelley of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU).

The current bipartisan bill drawing NTEU’s support on this issue was introduced by Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.). There is a companion measure in the Senate.

Under the Baldwin/Ros-Lehtinen Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2011, a federal employee and same-sex domestic partner would be eligible to participate in federal retirement, life insurance, health, workers’ compensation and Family and Medical Leave Act benefits to the same extent as married federal employees and their spouses.

In a letter to their colleagues, the two House members said that more than 8,000 private sector companies, along with the governments of 18 states and at least 150 cities and towns across the nation make a range of these benefits available to employees’ domestic partners.

“Such employees and their domestic partners would likewise assume the same obligations as those that apply to married employees, such as anti-nepotism and financial disclosure requirements,” they wrote. NTEU has supported similar legislation in the past, with President Kelley noting in particular its importance in agency recruitment and retention efforts.

As the largest independent federal union, NTEU represents 150,000 employees in 31 agencies and departments.