GM expands benefits eligibility for U.S. domestic partners

General Motors Co. is expanding benefits eligibility for U.S. salaried employees to include their opposite-sex domestic partners, starting Jan. 1, 2023.

The benefits include medical, dental and vision. The automaker already offers benefits to domestic partners and their children in more than a dozen countries. GM is working on expanding this globally in 2023.

“Achieving our goal of becoming the most inclusive company in the world will only be possible if we continue to listen to our employees,” said Kim Brycz, senior vice president and chief people officer, in a statement “Through feedback, we recognized the need for expansion and are happy to announce an enhancement to our Total Rewards package, which will now include domestic partners and their children.”

Stellantis NV, maker of Jeeps and Ram trucks, this year reinstated domestic partner benefits for all eligible non-bargaining unit U.S. employees for both same- and opposite-sex couples. The company, along with Ford Motor Co. and GM, extended domestic partner benefits to same-sex couples in 2000. After the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage in the United States, however, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (which merged with Groupe PSA of France to form Stellantis last year) discontinued the policy. 

GM employees will learn more about eligibility and how they can enroll family members into benefits programs this fall. The expansion doesn’t include hourly workers because their benefits are negotiated with the United Auto Workers.