Chrysler Group Shows Its “Colors” During Motor City Pride

June 8, 2013 , Detroit -  Chrysler Group LLC celebrated its longstanding support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees, communities and issues by sponsoring the annual Motor City Pride festival.

Motor City Pride is a volunteer-driven event celebrating the lives of Michigan's LGBT citizens, and is the largest LGBT gathering in Michigan. The event was held this year on June 8 and 9 at Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit.

The Company’s gold sponsorship was provided on behalf of its LGBT employee resource group (ERG), the Gay and Lesbian Alliance (GALA).

GALA is one of six ERGs at the Company, which enable employees to celebrate multicultural differences and bring value to the larger community through volunteer and charitable activities. These employee groups are a source of competitive advantage for the Company as they interact more with stakeholders to support the Company’s business and product plans.

“It is fitting that Chrysler Group has a prominent place at this event, celebrating, advocating and building upon all it has done over the years to include and empower its LGBT employees and the community at large,” said Gregory Hawkins, an engineer at the Company who serves as president of GALA. “Speaking on behalf of LGBT employees at Chrysler Group, we are very proud of what our Company has achieved in creating a work culture that is diverse, respectful and inclusive.”

GALA’s objectives include promoting a positive awareness of LGBT people and issues within Chrysler and to ensure that the Company’s products and services are desired by and tailored to diverse populations and workforce. At Motor City Pride, GALA members were active introducing the Company’s products to consumers in an interactive display.

The vehicles featured were the 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth Cabrio, 2014 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk and the 2013 Chrysler 300C Motown Edition.

Other ERGs at Chrysler Group include Chrysler African American Network, Chrysler Hispanic Employee Network, Chrysler Asian Network, Native American Employee Resource Group and Women’s Forum.

The Company was a leader among U.S. employers in providing domestic partner benefits to its employees in 2000. In 2012, Chrysler Group was one of 190 leading employers to achieve a perfect score of 100 percent on Human Rights Campaign's (HRC) Corporate Equality Index. The HRC is the educational arm of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, America’s largest civil rights organization, and is dedicated to achieving LGBT equality. The HRC rated 636 employers for the 2012 report.

A perfect score indicates a company provides full parity for domestic partner benefits, not only in basic medical coverage, but in dependent care, retirement and other benefits that affect families’ financial and medical well-being. Chrysler Group’s rating also signifies coverage for transgender individuals for medically necessary care — a community the HRC notes has historically been overlooked. It was the seventh time Chrysler Group has achieved a perfect score on the CEI, which was established in 2002. And until recent years, Chrysler Group was the only automaker to consistently achieve this important benchmark.

"All of our employees at Chrysler Group are valued and given the opportunity to contribute to the success of our Company," said Georgette Dulworth, Director – Talent Acquisition & Diversity, Chrysler Group LLC. "As an Employer of Choice, Chrysler Group prides itself in creating an inclusive business environment in which all people and ideas are welcome, appreciated and respected."

About Chrysler Group’s Leadership Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion and Diverse Talent Development
In 2012, the Detroit Free Press named Chrysler Group as one of the best places to work in the state of Michigan. Chrysler Group also has been named one of the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers” by Working Mother magazine 13 times.

Chrysler Group was named among the nation's "Top Supporters" of Engineering Programs of Historically Black Colleges and Universities for the past three years, recognizing the Company's efforts to develop, recruit and hire talented students pursuing technical careers at the nation's minority-serving institutions.

Over the years, a long line of Chrysler Group employees have received important professional recognition from various diversity organizations, including Black Engineer of the Year, Women of Color, HENAAC Great Minds in STEM and others, reflecting the Company’s strong commitment to developing its diverse workforce.

About Chrysler Group LLC
Chrysler Group LLC, formed in 2009 to establish a global strategic alliance with Fiat S.p.A., produces Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Mopar, SRT and Fiat vehicles and products. With the resources, technology and worldwide distribution network required to compete on a global scale, the alliance builds on Chrysler Group’s culture of innovation, first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925, and Fiat’s complementary technology that dates back to its founding in 1899.

Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Mich., Chrysler Group’s product lineup features some of the world's most recognizable vehicles, including the Chrysler 300 and Town & Country, Jeep Wrangler, all-new Dodge Dart, Ram 1500, Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 and Fiat 500. Fiat contributes world-class technology, platforms and powertrains for small- and medium-size cars, allowing Chrysler Group to offer an expanded product line including environmentally friendly vehicles.