Comments

1
REI posted their statement on FB this morning:

A letter from REI Co-op CEO Jerry Stritzke to co-op employees:

Co-op Employees,

As a leader, I believe integrity means taking action based on your values. I’m writing you today because I’ve watched the President’s first days in office closely and I am concerned by what I’ve seen.

Over the course of the first week alone, we’ve witnessed actions that conflict with our co-op values on issues including climate, the environment, women’s rights and the singling out of individuals based on nationality and belief. These issues are core to the health of the outdoors and the ideals of our nation.

We know our employee base and our membership span the political spectrum on any given issue. And we embrace respectful dialogue and debate. But it’s important for me to be incredibly clear about the following—we are an organization, and a country, built on inclusion. We believe we are better when we come together, when we are open and when we are welcoming.

Accordingly, we do not support the executive order issued by the President on Friday regarding immigration. I have reached out personally to all employees currently in the immigration process to ensure they have the support they need. If you have questions or concerns or are personally impacted, I urge you to contact your HR business partner.

From our founding days, the co-op has welcomed all. That means whether you are an employee, a member or a customer you can count on respect and can be assured that we will not discriminate based on who you are or where you’re from.

We will also be deliberate about how we make a positive impact. We will focus our advocacy efforts on public lands, climate change and equality for all. We are committed to taking action in these areas because believe REI can unite people across the political spectrum.

In recent months we have taken specific actions in support of our values. In December, we publicly joined hundreds of businesses in urging the incoming Administration to maintain our nation’s commitment to the Paris Climate Accords. In January, we crafted an open letter in defense of our public lands, which more than 170 CEOs have now signed. Today, we are reaffirming our policy and philosophy of inclusiveness—as we did regarding North Carolina in 2016.

In addition, we will be dedicating our philanthropic funding, planned at more than $6 million in 2017, to creating access to the outdoors for all.

Integrity is the measure of an individual and a leader. I am speaking out today because I believe these issues are too important to stay silent. I look forward to discussion and debate about how we, together, can be a force for positive change in the outdoors—and for our country.

Jerry
2
H1B is about cheap foreign labor and it's biggest advocate was GW Bush. Go to hell.
3
We've been fighting Corporate America for so long, it feels weird to cozy up to it now. I doubt that their interests in ending the ban are anything like ours.
4
Uh, Group Health is Kaiser-Permanente now. Maybe you need to go further up the food chain.
6
Every time I read another triggered political piece by S. Brownstone I imagine Tim Hidecker's "I am a cuck" song playing in the background.
7
@2 While I agree that its about cheap labor for the corporations, its more about tRump throwing red meat to his followers. The others are now stopped and you will be safe. Of course this is a distraction so the treasury can be looted in all the chaos
8
Is it really standing up to the administration or is it really just a scathing rebuke from the tech and retail industries against our own citizen graduates and the quality of our own higher education system - which ironically has its share of immigrants? Maybe it could it be that inexpensive labor in the form of "contract workers", "off-shoring" and manual labor is in jeopardy and will cut into profits and upper- and middle- management paychecks. Odd, I dont seem to recall Amazon promoting jobs in their administrative offices last holiday season, as much as their warehouses.
9
If a company like Amazon for example is doing high high volume hiring only to leave new hires with a status of a pending start date indefinitely, because they plan on getting the ban removed so someone can take my job instead just because they know how to work and keep their mouths shut and never complain well I hope Trumps's decision stands and the ban stays in effect

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