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Date
Employer Contact:
Address
Dear ______:
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued
a Commission Decision on December 14, 2000, ruling 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.
As a result of this decision, the Union requests that (insert
name of employer) provide the Union with information on the
extent of contraceptive coverage, if any, available through
each of the health plans offered to (insert name of employer)
employees represented by the Union. This information is needed
to ensure that (insert name of employer) does not discriminate
against employees with regard to contraceptive coverage.
If (insert name of Employer)'s health plans do not offer
contraceptive coverage in accordance with this decision, the
Union intends to request such coverage.
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 month per employee. These costs may be more than offset
by savings due to a reduced number of pregnancies.
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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