Oil and gas giant ExxonMobil is the target of an LGBT Illinois workplace discrimination complaint filed May 22, after an LGBT organization uncovered alleged hiring bias.
Freedom to Work, a national LGBT organization, has hit the company with a complaint for allegedly favoring non-LGBT job applicants over LGBT candidates.
Freedom to Work sent ExxonMobil two "test" resumes for fictitious candidates. One resume, which boasted better qualifications, identified the applicant as LGBT.
"Exxon responded by treating the better-qualified LGBT applicant far worse than the less qualified non-LGBT applicant," Freedom to work said in a statement. "On three occasions, Exxon contacted the non-LGBT and less-qualified candidate for an interview and Exxon even suggested that it would hold open the job for the non-LGBT applicant. The better qualified LGBT candidate was never contacted by Exxon about the position."
Tico Almeida, president of Freedom to Work, said that Exxon cannot deny seeing both resumes, as the company confirmed receipt of each via email.
"Exxon really wanted the non-LGBT applicant," he said.
According to the complaint filed with the Illinois Department of Human Rights, the LGBT candidate, Jennifer Priston, offered stronger qualificationsincluding a higher GPA and better work experiencethan Michelle Caland a fictitious non-LGBT candidate. Caland's history included significant work in feminist activism while Priston's resume noted experience with the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. Both attended the same high school and college, and graduated at the same time.
The complaint alleges that even after Exxon could not reach the non-LGBT applicant, they failed to contact the LGBT one.
Almeida said a similar test on Exxon in Texas also turned up troubling results, but that the state does not offer LGBT protections on which to pursue a formal complaint.
Almeida said he wants to see the Illinois complaint settled quickly, with Exxon adopting non-discrimination hiring practices. The company has failed to do so in recent years, much to the ire of LGBT activists. Last year, Exxon scored a -25 on the Human Rights Campaign's "Corporate Equality Index," which rates companies from 0-100 based on how LGBT-friendly they are.
"We're hoping that this proof creates a tipping point for their board and their shareholders," Almeida said.
Charlie Engelmann, a spokesperson for ExxonMobil, said that the company is reviewing the complaint.
"ExxonMobil's global policies and processes prohibit all forms of discrimination, including those based on sexual orientation and gender identity, in any Company workplace, anywhere in the world," he said in a statement. "In fact, our policies go well beyond the law and prohibit any form of discrimination."
ExxonMobil does have a non-discrimination clause for employees.
"Any form of discrimination by or toward employees, contractors, suppliers, and customers in any ExxonMobil workplace is strictly prohibited," the policy reads. "Our global, zero-tolerance policy applies to all forms of discrimination, including discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity."
The sticking point for activists, however is in the formal adoption of a policy that covers both employment and hiring, which shareholders are expected to consider in the coming days.
According to the complaint, Freedom to Work partnered with the Equal Rights Center, which has used similar testing techniques to uncover bias among employers and housing providers.
Almeida said that Freedom to Work has been testing numerous companies on LGBT hiring since last year and has uncovered another case of anti-gay discrimination at a different company. He declined to say how many companies the organization was testing.
Almeida said that Freedom to Work took a page from the playbooks of civil rights and disability advocates in starting the testing program.
"That's something that's never been done before in the LGBT movement," he said.
Freedom to Work and other LGBT groups have been pushing President Obama to sign an executive order requiring federal contractors to adopt LGBT non-discrimination policies. That would allow Freedom to Work to pursue the Texas Exxon case, among others facing companies with government contracts, even in states without LGBT protections, Almeida noted.