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Date
Employer Contact
Address
Dear ____________:
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued
a Commission Decision on December 14, 2000, holding that employers
that exclude coverage of prescription contraceptives from
their employers health plans, when other prescription drugs
and devices are covered, are engaging in unlawful sex discrimination
under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Pregnancy
Discrimination Act of 1978 that is incorporated into Title
VII. This decision was reinforced by the U.S. District Court,
Western District's ruling on June 12, 2001, in Erickson v.
The Bartell Company.
Based on this decision, the Union requests that (insert name
of employer) take immediate steps to comply with this decision
in all health plans offered to (insert name of employer) employees.
The Union believes that the (insert employer name) is vulnerable
to EEOC charges and possibly a lawsuit on this issue. Consequently,
compliance is not only prudent, it is the right thing to do.
This coverage can be extended to employees with little or
no additional cost. A recent study by consulting actuaries
from Buck Consultants found that the estimated cost of adding
contraceptive coverage to health plans was $1.43 per month
per employee. These costs may be more than offset by savings
due to a reduced number of pregnancies. In fact, the U.S.
Office of Personnel Management reported that the federal government
added contraceptive coverage with no increased cost.
We would like to meet with you to discuss this issue at your
earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
Name
Title
P.S. For more information on the EEOC decision, you may access
the full text of the decision and explanatory Q & A on
the EEOC's web site: www.eeoc.gov/docs/decision-contraception.html.
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