Wednesday, March 12, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
SAN FRANCISCO -- Bank of America has decided to extend health benefits not only to domestic partners, but parents and siblings of their 80,000 workers worldwide.
A new San Francisco ordinance requires companies that do business with the city to give such benefits to registered domestic partners if such benefits already are offered to spouses.
"Beginning in January 1998, Bank of America will begin offering medical, dental and vision coverage to what we are calling extended family members -- a parent, a sister or brother, an adult child or, yes, a domestic partner of the same or opposite sex," bank spokesman Dennis Wyss said on Monday.
Since the extension affects all BofA employees, Nevadans working for the company will benefit. Paul Stowell, vice president and public relations manager for BofA in Las Vegas, said there are 2,600 employees in all branches and divisions of the company in Nevada.
He added that it's hard to calculate how many more relatives and partners that would be covered by the benefits package in the state.
The San Francisco ordinance was a factor in the bank's decision, but it was only one factor, Wyss said.
"We have been considering this a long time," Wyss said.
The Roman Catholic archdiocese balked at extending "spousal equivalent" benefits to domestic partners only, but recently agreed when the city said the coverage could include anyone designated by a worker.
Liz Winfield, a business consultant who conducts education about gays in the workplace, objected to the bank's extension of benefits to family members.
"That sort of cheapens the (domestic partner) relationship," Winfield said. "If I were an employee who needed benefits, I'd be grateful that this could save me thousands of dollars a year. But I'd also feel that it cheapened my relationship."
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