Chrysler Group Celebrates Its Products, People and Culture at Motor City Pride

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Jun 09, 2014, 09:00 ET

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., June 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Supports annual festival through parade sponsorship and interactive product display
Motor City Pride is the largest LGBT gathering in Michigan
Chrysler Group cites longstanding support of LGBT employees, communities and issues

Chrysler Group's employee group, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance was active introducing customers to the Company's products at Motor City Pride, June 7-8 in Detroit. (PRNewsFoto/Chrysler Group LLC)

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 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) at Chrysler Group. This year Chrysler Group sponsored the parade portion of the festival, as well as an interactive product display.

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. Other ERGs at Chrysler Group include Chrysler African American Network, Chrysler Hispanic Employee Network (Latinos In Connection), Chrysler Asian Network, Native American Employee Resource Group and Women's Forum. 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.

"All of our employees at Chrysler Group are valued and given the opportunity to personally contribute to the success of our Company," said Michael Keegan, Senior Vice President – Human Resources, Chrysler Group LLC, co-chair of the Company's Diversity Council and executive sponsor to GALA. "As an Employer of Choice, Chrysler Group prides itself in creating a diverse and inclusive business environment in which employees are given the comfort and freedom to perform at their very best."

"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 Group and to ensure that the Company's products and services are desired by and tailored to diverse people and communities. At Motor City Pride, GALA members were active introducing the Company's products to consumers in an interactive display. The vehicles featured were the 2015 Chrysler 200C, 2014 Jeep Cherokee Limited and the 2014 Fiat 500L Lounge.

"Motor City Pride is honored to have a long established partnership with Chrysler Group," said Dave Wail, Chairman of Motor City Pride and Equality Michigan. "Chrysler Group's support of this event for our community shows their dedication and commitment to our mission to achieve full equality and respect for all people in Michigan regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression."

A Leader Supporting LGBT Employees and Issues
Chrysler was a leader among U.S. employers in providing domestic partner benefits to its employees in 2000. In 2013, Chrysler Group was among a small group of 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 eighth time Chrysler Group has achieved a perfect score on the CEI since the benchmark was established in 2002. And until recent years, Chrysler Group was the only automaker to consistently achieve a perfect CEI rating.

Chrysler Group is a member of the Michigan Competitive Workforce Coalition seeking an update to Michigan's anti-discrimination law to prohibit discrimination because of sexual orientation or gender identity.

About Motor City Pride
Motor City Pride is a volunteer-driven event celebrating the lives of Michigan's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender citizens. A weekend packed with multiple events including a family picnic, golf outing, Commitment Ceremony and parade. Motor City Pride culminates as the largest LGBT gathering in Michigan and is located in the heart of the region at beautiful and historic Hart Plaza, located on the riverfront in downtown Detroit.

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 SRT, Ram, FIAT and Mopar 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 Grand Cherokee, Dodge Dart, Ram 1500, Dodge SRT Viper 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.

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