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LGBT

Nearly 300 Companies And Municipalities File Brief Against DOMA

By Zack Ford and Adam Peck on Feb 27, 2013 at 4:34 pm

Nearly 300 companies, along with several law firms and municipalities, have submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. Many recognizable companies signed on, including Adobe, Amazon, Apple, CBS, Cisco Systems, Citigroup, eBay, Electronic Arts, Facebook, Goldman Sachs, Google, Intel, JetBlue Airways, The Jim Henson Company, Johnson & Johnson, Levi Strauss, Mars, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, Nike, Pfizer, Planet Fitness, Starbucks, Sun Life Financial, Twitter, Viacom, the Walt Disney Company, and Xerox. They are joined by the cities of Baltimore, Boston, Los Angeles, New York City, Providence, San Francisco, and Seattle, among others. One interesting signatory of note is Bain & Company, the management consultant firm that Mitt Romney once worked for — not to be confused with Romney’s private equity firm, Bain Capital.

The brief argues that DOMA places burdens on companies that impede their ability to recruit and retain productive employees because of the strains on benefits. In many ways, these companies are bound by the law to discriminate against their employees against their wishes, and they often incur financial burdens to simply find ways to navigate around DOMA. These companies make it clear that it violates their business models to comply with DOMA:

DOMA imposes on amici not simply considerable burden of compliance and cost. DOMA conscripts amici to become the face of its mandate that two separate castes of married persons be identified and separately treated. As employers, we must administer employment-related health-care plans, retirement plans, family leave, and COBRA. We must impute the value of spousal health-care benefits to our employees’ detriment. We must treat one employee less favorably, or at minimum differently, when each is as lawfully married as the other. We must do all of this in states, counties, and cities that prohibit workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and demand equal treatment of all married individuals. This conscription has harmful consequences. [...]

Our principles are not platitudes. Our mission statements are not simply plaques in the lobby. Statements of principle are our agenda for success: born of experience, tested in laboratory, factory, and office, attuned to competition. Our principles reflect, in the truest sense, our business judgment. By force of law, DOMA rescinds that judgment and directs that we renounce these principles or, worse yet, betray them.

These companies have made it clear that inequality harms not just the families of LGBT people, but American businesses as well. As Joe Jervis suggests, conservatives would have a difficult time boycotting so many ubiquitous companies.

Economy

Oregon Governor Wants Special Legislative Session To Let Nike Write His State’s Tax Law

By Travis Waldron on Dec 11, 2012 at 3:45 pm

After Oregon voters passed a referendum ending one corporate tax break — and with unions and education officials calling for the closure of tax loopholes to raise more revenues — one of the state’s biggest and most identifiable companies is calling for more tax certainty. And if it doesn’t get it, it is threatening to move.

Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) called a special legislative session Tuesday so lawmakers could consider handing Nike, the Oregon-based apparel and athletic shoe company, the “tax certainty” bill it is demanding. In exchange for the legislation, which will allow the governor to enter into agreements that lock-in current tax laws for certain large companies, Nike says it will create 500 jobs in the state, the Oregonian reports:

Kitzhaber said Nike officials approached him more that a month ago to discuss the company’s expansion plans. Kitzhaber said they told him that Nike was being “heavily courted” by other states but wanted to stay in Oregon.

To do so, the company wanted a guarantee that the state would continue its tax policy, known as the “single-sales factor,” in which companies are taxed only on in-state sales.

“To me, that’s an easy call,” Kitzhaber said.

In addition to the 500 jobs Nike promises to create, Kitzhaber said the tax policy could lead to 12,000 more jobs and a $2 billion boost to Oregon’s economy. But state tax preferences and subsidies aimed at specific businesses often fall flat. New Jersey, for instance, handed a food company $80 million in tax incentives last year, all so it could create just nine jobs. And Sears announced layoffs in Illinois just months after the state gave it millions in tax subsidies.

What Nike wants from Kitzhaber, though, may be even worse. At a time when Oregon is cutting funding for public education and for its colleges and universities — one of which Nike has a close relationship with — Kitzhaber is asking for legislation that would allow the governor to enter into a “tax certainty” agreement with any company that promises to create at least 500 jobs and invest at least $150 million over five years. In exchange for that investment, current tax laws would be set for a time-frame determined by the governor, essentially turning control of the state’s taxes and revenue stream over to any corporation that, like Nike, raised the possibility of moving without the maintenance of Oregon’s already-favorable corporate tax law.

Politics

Why Nike Should Sponsor Olympic Weightlifter Sarah Robles

By ThinkProgress on Jul 9, 2012 at 9:57 am

Sarah Robles is literally the strongest woman in the United States. As a professional weightlifter, this 23-year-old can lift up to 568 pounds and beat out every other American, male and female, in the world championship rankings last year.

Still, Sarah is barely getting by — she lives on $400 a month — because, unlike some of her fellow competitors who are the best in their fields, she doesn’t have the backing of a major company.

Maybe it’s because weight lifting isn’t considered the “sexiest” sport in the Olympics. Maybe companies only want to sponsor female athletes whose bodies fit into what they’d like to package and sell as perfect.

“You can get that sponsorship if you’re a super-built guy or a girl who looks good in a bikini,” Sarah recently said. “But not if you’re a girl who’s built like a guy.”

Sarah is a big, strong role model for girls, and she deserves a smart sponsor.

Nike recently launched their “Voices” campaign, which honors great female athletes like boxer Marlen Esparza, marathon runner Joan Benoit Samuelson, and WNBA players Lisa Leslie and Diana Taurasi. Women who run, box and play basketball. Why not a woman who lifts weights? Why isn’t Sarah Robles on their list?

When Sarah Robles wins a medal at the Olympics this year, she should take the podium knowing that she won’t be living in poverty any more.

Tell Nike to step up — give Sarah a living wage, and give girls all different types of role models to look up to. Tell them to sponsor Sarah Robles.

Tell Nike: Sponsor Olympian Sarah Robles

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LGBT

Nike-Endorsed Boxer Says Same-Sex Couples Violate ‘God’s Law’

By Zack Ford on May 16, 2012 at 10:01 am

World-famous Nike-endorsed boxer Manny Pacquiao recently spoke out against marriage equality, suggesting same-sex couples are violating God’s law:

PACQUIAO: God’s words first … obey God’s law first before considering the laws of man. God only expects man and woman to be together and to be legally married, only if they so are in love with each other. It should not be of the same sex so as to adulterate the altar of matrimony, like in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah of Old.

Pacquiao’s comments imply the annihilation of gays and lesbians, putting him in stark contrast with his primary sponsor, Nike. Not only does Nike have a 100 percent score on HRC’s Corporate Equality Index, but it has also been a vocal advocate for marriage equality. The Courage Campaign has now launched a petition calling on Nike to drop Manny Pacquiao for his offensive remarks, urging the company not to let its pro-equality reputation be tarnished by such a negative role model.

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is often cited to condemn homosexuality, because in it, God destroyed the two towns after its citizens attempted to gang rape two male visitors who turned out to be angels — though little in the story resembles modern-day understandings of same-sex orientations or relationships. In his Examiner story about Pacquiao’s comments, journalist Granville Ampong also invoked Leviticus 20:13, which calls for men who lie with men to be put to death, confusing other outlets to believe Pacquiao had quoted it himself. Ampong has since clarified that he added the verse himself because of his own desire to emphasize his view of the Bible’s anti-gay perspective.

Update

According to a statement from Pacquiao’s adviser, Michael Koncz, the boxer meant no harm by his remarks. He implied, however, that Pacquiao perhaps did reference the “put to death” Leviticus verse:

KONCZ: Manny was asked about same-sex marriages and he quoted a verse from the Bible to drive home a point. He did not wish ill will on anybody.

Update

Pacquiao has clarified that he does not believe gay people should be put to death and that he is not even familiar with Leviticus 20:13, so he definitely did not quote it. He did stand by the intent of his remarks, though:

PACQUIAO: I didn’t say that, that’s a lie … I didn’t know that quote from Leviticus because I haven’t read the Book of Leviticus yet. I’m not against gay people … I have a relative who is also gay. We can’t help it if they were born that way. What I’m critical off [sic] are actions that violate the word of God. I only gave out my opinion that same sex marriage is against the law of God.

Update

The National Organization for Marriage is promoting the original article with Pacquiao’s comments without any disclaimers about what he actually did and did not say.

NEWS FLASH

Microsoft, Nike, And Others Endorse Washington Marriage Equality | In a blog post this morning, Microsoft officially endorsed a proposed marriage equality bill in Washington state, where the company’s headquarters is based. In addition to recognizing how marriage would benefit its gay employees, Microsoft also emphasized that marriage equality is good for business because it will help them “continue to compete for talent” and “make our state and our economy stronger.” Microsoft joined five other Washington-based companies — Concur, Group Health, Nike, RealNetworks, and Vulcan Inc. — in sending a letter to legislators indicating their support.

Update

In addition to these companies’ endorsement, the marriage equality bill also gained the support today of Sen. Jim Kastama (D). Kastama’s is the 24th supportive vote in the state Senate, meaning the bill only needs one more yes vote to pass.

NEWS FLASH

70 Corporations Come Out Against Defense of Marriage Act | Seventy U.S. businesses are part of an amicus brief opposing the Defense of Marriage Act in Gill v. OPM. The companies point out that DOMA forces them to treat their employees differently based on their sexual orientation, and as a result, the businesses assume an administrative financial burden to correct the inequity. Several health insurance providers, as well as well-known nationwide companies such as CBS, Microsoft, Google, Levi Strauss, Nike, and Time Warner Cable have joined the brief. Here is the complete list:

Economy

Meet The Indonesian Workers Who Make Your Nikes: 50 Cent Hourly Wages, Beatings, And Humiliation

By Zaid Jilani on Jul 13, 2011 at 9:40 am

Nike has not lived up to its promised reforms and its workers suffer as a result.

More than a decade ago, shoe giant Nike came under fire for its use of sweatshop labor in the production of its products. Most of the criticism focused on its Indonesian workforce, where workers, largely young women, were forced to labor under harsh conditions and abusive supervisors. In 1997, filmmaker Michael Moore made Nike’s abuses a subject of his film “The Big One,” and met with Nike CEO Phil Knight. Knight explained that the reason his company was using low-wage labor in Indonesia is because “Americans don’t want to make shoes.” Watch it:

In 2001, following protests by labor and human rights advocates, Nike pledged a series of reforms following the revelation that some of its developing world workers were children. But a new investigation conducted by the Associated Press appears to find that poor conditions persist in many of Nike’s factories.

At the Taiwanese-operated Pou Chen Group factory in Sukabumi, Indonesia, which makes Converse shoes for Nike, and PT Amara Footwear factory in Jakarta, workers alleged that they are paid ultra-low wages, regularly verbally and physically abused, and even fired for the act of taking sick leave:

The 10,000 mostly female workers at the Taiwanese-operated Pou Chen plant make around 50 cents an hour. That’s enough, for food and bunkhouse-type lodging, but little else. Some workers interviewed by the AP in March and April described being hit or scratched in the arm — one man until he bled. Others said they were fired after filing complaints. [...] Mira Agustina, 30, said she was fired in 2009 for taking sick leave, even though she produced a doctor’s note. [...]
At the PT Amara Footwear factory located just outside Jakarta, where another Taiwanese contractor makes Converse shoes, a supervisor ordered six female workers to stand in the blazing sun after they failed to meet their target of completing 60 dozen pairs of shoes on time.

An internal Nike report released to the AP found that “nearly two-thirds of 168 factories making Converse products worldwide fail to meet Nike’s own standards for contract manufacturers.” Meanwhile, in 2010, Nike CEO Mark Parker’s received an 84 percent hike in his annual compensation, raking in $13.1 million, an amount many of the workers in Sukabumi and Jakarta can only dream of.

Climate Progress

Around The Nation, Chambers of Commerce Promote Climate Denial

By Brad Johnson on Oct 1, 2009 at 4:28 pm

U.S. Chamber of CommerceYesterday, Nike became the latest major company to abandon the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over its opposition to global warming action. The Chamber has tried to stop the hemorrhaging by claiming that it has “never questioned the science behind global warming,” and that it “continues to support strong federal legislation and a binding international agreement to reduce carbon emissions and address climate change.”

The former claim is demonstrably false, and the latter claim is laughable. The Chamber’s “support” for federal legislation is “conditional on an international agreement that requires full international participation.” Since such an international treaty is profoundly unlikely unless the United States passes federal legislation, the Chamber’s “sensible” policy is a recipe for inaction. Paradoxically, the Chamber even opposes tariffs on imports from countries that don’t limit greenhouse gases, claiming that would “set off a trade war.”

Furthermore, the state-level chambers of commerce, affiliated with and supported financially by the U.S. Chamber, continue to promote extremist global warming denial, paying climate skeptics Roy Spencer, Glenn Beck, Steven Milloy, and Steven Hayward to speak before their members.

Kansas Chamber of Commerce, September 21:

Global warming? So what. That was the message Monday from research scientist and best-selling author Roy Spencer to legislative leaders, lobbyists and leading business officials at the Kansas Chamber of Commerce business and energy summit. Spencer is a principal research scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and author of “Climate Confusion.” Spencer doesn’t deny that Earth is warming, but he attributes that to natural climate cycles and not to the increase in greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels.

Michigan Chamber of Commerce, September 15:

Although Glenn Beck’s race-baiting and McCarthyism have led a massive advertiser boycott of his Fox News program, the largest business lobby in the United States has chosen to embrace him as the “dinner keynote speaker” for the 2009 “Future Forum” at Michigan State University’s Kellog Forum on September 15th.

West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, September 4:

The Chamber announced last Wednesday that it was giving a major platform at the Business Summit to Steven J. Milloy, the founder of the Web site JunkScience.com. Milloy is expected to talk about his book, Green Hell: How Environmentalists Plan to Control Your Life and What You Can Do to Stop Them,” as an introduction to the “save coal” session. Steve Roberts, the Chamber president, said: “Steve Milloy’s remarks will be timely and interesting, given the current controversies that are being driven by the debate over environmental issues such as global warming, energy use and the economic impacts of all of this. West Virginia is one of the states that could be affected significantly depending on how things go with the scientific and political debate over current environmental issues.”

Indiana Chamber of Commerce‘s Economic Club, April 29:

More recently, environmental experts such as April 29 Economic Club of Indiana speaker Steven Hayward, have publicly disagreed with Gore and company. Hayward, an environmental researcher holding numerous prestigious fellowships and an adjunct professorship at Georgetown University, starred in a film rebutting Gore’s claims of pending disaster as a result of climate change. Hayward is of the belief that the planet goes through natural periods of warming and cooling and is not tremendously influenced by the activity of human beings.

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