FACT CHECK: Agema Claimed American Airlines Forced By San Francisco To Provide Benefits To Gay Couples
By Todd Heywood
Originally printed 12/11/2013 (Issue 2150 - Between The Lines News)
Former State Rep. Dave Agema, a Republican from Grandville, has been making national headlines again for inflammatory claims about the LGBT community. In his most recent comments, he claims the city of San Francisco forced American Airlines (his former employer) to provide domestic partner benefits.
The Herald Palladium in Benton Harbor provides a transcriptof his full comments. Here is the relevant claim:
"I know what happened to American Airlines when San Francisco said we could not land in San Francisco and do business with American Airlines unless we paid same sex unmarried benefits."
The problem? Agema's claim does not match the facts provided by history.
The City of San Francisco passed an ordinance requiring all contractors to the city to provide domestic partner benefits in 1996 and 1997. Among those contractors were airlines, including United and American. United, which had a larger presence in the city's airport, challenged the ordinance in federal court. The airlines were represented by their industry interest groups,Air Transport Association of America and Airline Industrial Relations Conference The Federal Express Corporation also joined the suit as a plaintiff. READ MORE
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