Updated November 18, 2015, 9:51 p.m.
This week, the Human Rights Campaign released their 2016 Corporate Equality Index. The good news is that of 48 companies ranked in Texas, 10 got perfect scores. The bad news is that none of those companies are in San Antonio.
Of the corporations ranked in San Antonio, USAA got a score of 85, the highest locally. H.E. Butt Grocery Company (H-E-B) got a score of 30 and iHeart Media got a score of 55. The local average was 56.6.
Three San Antonio corporations that did not respond to invitations to take the CEI survey received “unofficial” ratings based on public information and information supplied to HRC by LGBT employee groups or individual employees. Those companies are Tesoro Corp. with a score of 20, CST Brands with a score of 10 and Valero Energy Corp. with a score of 10.
According to HRC, 851 companies were rated in this year’s index. Of those, 407 received perfect scores. In Texas, the list of perfect scores included American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, J.C. Penny, and Shell Oil. The average score for Texas companies was 74.
The CEI scores are based on five criteria which “align the most critical components of LGBT workplace inclusion.” Those criteria are: 1) equal opportunity policy; 2) equivalent spousal and partner benefits and transgender-inclusive health insurance coverage; 3) organizational LGBT competency and employee group or diversity council; 4) public commitment; 5) a deduction from a company’s score for a large-scale official or public anti-LGBT blemish on their recent records.
While all three of the companies scored in San Antonio have good reputations for how they treat LGBT employees, they came up short on some of HRC’s criteria. Following is a breakdown of the San Antonio scores.
USAA – Score 85
– 10 point deduction because company does not offer transgender-inclusive health insurance.
– 5 point deduction because company does not positively engage the external LGBT community.
iHeart Media – Score 55
– 5 point deduction because company does not have contractor/vendor non-discrimination standards that include sexual orientation and gender identity.
– 10 point deduction because company does not offer transgender-inclusive health insurance.
– 10 point deduction because company does not offer firm-wide organizational competency programs.
– 5 point deduction because company does not have employer-supported employee resource group or firm-wide diversity council.
– 15 point deduction because company does not positively engage the external LGBT community.
H.E. Butt Grocery Company – Score 30
– 10 point deduction because company does not prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation for all operations.
– 15 point deduction because company does not prohibit discrimination based on gender identity or expression for all operations.
– 5 point deduction because company does not have contractor/vendor non-discrimination standards that include sexual orientation and gender identity.
– 10 point deduction because the company does not have parity across other “soft” benefits for partners.
– 10 point deduction because company does not offer transgender-inclusive health insurance.
– 10 point deduction because company does not offer firm-wide organizational competency programs.
– 10 point deduction because company does not positively engage the external LGBT community.
“While support for LGBT workers is growing in the U.S. and around the world, too many companies still fail to guarantee basic, vital workplace protections that allow employees to bring their full selves to work,” HRC President Chad Griffin said in a press release.
“That continues to create barriers for LGBT people, especially for transgender people, who face high rates of unemployment and discrimination in hiring. These companies should look to the example set by global corporate leaders as a path forward to achieving LGBT equality for all workers, no matter where they live,” Griffin said.
This article was updated to include the unofficial scores of three San Antonio companies that did not respond to the CEI survey.
