GM to Extend Same-Sex Benefits to Canadian Force

In an apparent first for the auto industry, General Motors Corp. agreed Tuesday to extend employment benefits to the same-sex partners of its 26,000 employee members of the Canadian Auto Workers.

The provision was included at the last minute as bargainers in Toronto reached tentative agreement on a new contract to end a 20-day strike, said Basil “Buzz” Hargrove, the union’s president.

Company executives said they were unaware of any comparable policies at other U.S.-based auto companies. In the United States, the practice has generally been limited to the entertainment and technology industries. IBM recently joined the ranks of companies offering such benefits.

Hargrove said the CAW tried to win the same benefit in its recent talks with Chrysler Corp., but that Chrysler’s “macho” executives refused. Traditionally, benefits won at one of the Big Three by the CAW or its sister U.S. union, the United Auto Workers, spread to the others.