Fuck Boeing

Gays have been part of Boeing for decades…

One of Seattle’s largest employers, Boeing, has revealed they will not pay survivor benefits to same-sex spouses of their gay and lesbian employees despite the passage of Referendum 74 which legalized same-sex marriage in the State of Washington. During contract negotiations with the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), IFPTE Local 2001, Boeing management told union leaders that they would not pay survivor benefits because they “didn’t have to” under federal law. Dominic Holden has the story over at The Stranger’s SLOG.

Boeing has since backtracked a bit on that stance, now claiming that the issue is under review.

What a dickish attitude for a corporation to take. Marriage equality is now legal in 9 states and the District of Columbia and it’s obviously going to spread to even more states in the near future. And, as marriage equality continues to expand, it’s also quite obviously going to lead to court cases and rulings from federal courts that will eventually lead to equality for all. Taking a negative, cheap ass stance on this issue in 2012 only makes Boeing look bad while saving them a relatively tiny amount of money.

Despite sneaking your company HQ off to Chicago, you’re still a hometown company, Boeing. You need to support the will of the people who live in that hometown.

Stop being dicks. Show your lesbian & gay employees and their families some respect.