[news] UM Faculty & Staff Response - SSDP Letter of Concern

from our friends

Dear UM Community:

We would like to respond in a vocal and public way to the Michigan Appeals Court ruling on Feb. 2 that would effectively curtail access to health benefits by same-sex domestic partners and their dependent children. This ruling cast a dark cloud of uncertainty over present LGBT employees and potential recruits to the ranks of our public institutions. While we deeply appreciate the university's commitment to maintaining a benefits structure commensurate with our non-discrimination policy, we are also concerned that the lack of transparency in the response does not sufficiently ameliorate the situation for these families. We know that concern about this situation goes far beyond the relatively few affected faculty, staff, and students and extends to many of our colleagues.

To this end we have composed a "Letter of Concern" that summarizes the situation as we see it and can demonstrate the university community's level of support for SSDP benefits. We would like this letter to be circulated among all faculty and staff in the form of a petition campaign. We are requesting volunteers who are willing to circulate the petition in their department or unit. We are also seeking volunteers to coordinate the collection of the signed letters no later than February 23 and their return to:

SSDP Letter of Concern
c/o AutBar
315Braun Court
Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Our plan is then to request a meeting with the executive officers named at the top of the letter to provide them withevidence of the broad support for fairness in the administration of benefits and for the health and well-being of all our families. In addition we would like to publicize the magnitude of the support wereceive in this effort by making known to the public the number of faculty and staff who participate in this petition.

The full text of the Letter of Concern availble (here).

Thank you for your help in this matter. For more information contact (here) and view (here).