As United Parcel Service continues discussions with Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund to fulfill its promise to treat lesbian and gay employees fairly, Lambda Legal said its anti-gay discrimination lawsuit against the company continues and urged people to join petitions already signed by hundreds of people urging UPS to implement the inclusion of same-sex couples in a company relocation policy.
In August, Lambda Legal filed a lawsuit against UPS in California state court on behalf of Daniel Kline, who has worked for the company for more than two decades, and his partner of 27 years, Frank Sories. In January, Sories was transferred from San Francisco to Chicago by his employer, United Airlines, when its office in San Francisco closed. Kline applied for a transfer to UPS’s Chicago branch under the company’s policy that lets employees relocate to avoid having their families broken apart when their loved ones have job transfers. Just hours after the lawsuit was filed, UPS released a statement saying it has changed its policy to include domestic partners and that Kline’s transfer application had been approved.
‘This policy exists to keep families intact, and we filed this case to make sure all families are included. We’re encouraged by UPS’s public statements, and we’re committed to making sure the company follows through on its promises to this couple and others like them,’ said Jon W. Davidson, Senior Counsel for Lambda Legal in its Western Regional Office in Los Angeles.
‘We’re in discussions with UPS now and hope to resolve this soon—but, for now, our lawsuit is moving forward.’