Benefits February 13, 2003

ConocoPhillips Agrees to Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination

February 13, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Petroleum company ConocoPhillips has amended its employment non-discrimination policy to include sexual orientation.
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The amendment was spurred by the Phillips Petroleum merger with Conoco on August 30, 2002.    During the merger, it was discovered that Phillips’ non-discrimination policy did not cover sexual orientation as Conoco’s had, according to a Human Rights Campaign (HRC) news media release.

The HRC said 307 of the Fortune 500 companies have non-discrimination policies that include sexual orientation. ConocoPhillips now joins the other oil companies with sexual orientation non-discrimination policies including:

  • Amerada Hess
  • Shell Oil Co
  • BP
  • ChevronTexaco Corp
  • Marathon Oil Corp
  • Occidental Petroleum
  • Sunoco Inc
  • Valero Energy Corp.

ConocoPhillips’ move leaves ExxonMobil Corp as the only US company ever to rescind a sexual orientation non-discrimination policy, the HRC said.   ExxonMobil pulled back Mobil’s non-discrimination policy in December 1999 when Exxon and Mobil merged. At the same time, it closed Mobil’s domestic partner benefits program to any more employees.

The HRC is a national lesbian and gay political organization.   The political action committee lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender American social issues.

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