Index of SPPS Budget Discussion http://www.e-democracy.org/stpaul/spps-posts.html _________________________________________ I would just like to repeat that this was national campaign. No one alleged that employees were being discriminated against in Minnesota by Home Depot which would be illegal under Minnesota state law.
The issue was that Home Depot did not include sexual orientation in their corporate nondiscrimination policy at the time. Discrimination had allegedly been a problem in numerous company stores and offices where such discrimination is legal(as is the case still in 36 of the 50 states- at the time it was legal in 38 states). Having a corporate policy would give employees some recourse through internal corporate avenues to address discrimination and demonstrate good will on the part of the company to prevent such discrimination against it's workforce. David Strand Note the following news stories and press releases concerning the end of the fight over Home Depot's nondiscimination policy Press Release from Georgia Equality can be found at http://www.georgiaequality.org/Press_Releases/HomeDepot%20051401.pdf Press Release from the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility http://www.iccr.org/news/press_releases/pr_hd.htm http://content.gay.com/channels/news/heads/010514_homedepot_reverse.html Home Depot protects gay and lesbian workers by Barbara Dozetos Gay.com / PlanetOut.com Network Home Depot banned employment discrimination based on sexual orientation only days after the company announced it was opposing a shareholder proposal to do just that. According to the Wall Street Journal, company CEO Bob Nardelli sent an e-mail to his employees on May 11 notifying them of the change that would be effective immediately. "There has been some confusion about our position on nondiscrimination of all associates," Nardelli wrote. "Therefore, we are clarifying our position, not only through our continued actions, but also through our written policies." Home Depot spokeswoman Suzanne Apple told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that employees upset by the company's opposition to the proposal sparked the change of heart. "We believed that we had a culture of nondiscrimination and respect and that we didn't have to be explicit regarding sexual orientation," Apple said. "In the past month, though, there's been some confusion among our associates, and we wanted to make it clear." In light of the move by Home Depot, the shareholder proposal has been withdrawn, according to Apple. The move had been led by the investment arm of the Unitarian Universalist Church. Posted May 14, 2001 --- Pamela Joy Ellison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I thought it was stated somewhere that local mom and > pop hardware stores and > activists that supported them stopped the store, so > which is the accurate > account of what really happened? > > Anyone have any other insights? I know of gay > friends that work for Home > Depot and love it, and appreciate the benefits > package, so the account from > David Strand doesn't resonate with what I know, but > I could be very wrong on > this. > > Can anyone else shed any light on this topic? > > Pamela Ellison > Como Park > Saint Paul > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "David Strand" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Dan Dobson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Cc: "Dan Dobson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Dave Thune" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; > "Donna Swanson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "St > Paul Forum" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Jay Benanav" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Pat > Harris" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Jane Prince" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Monday, February 23, 2004 12:30 PM > Subject: [StPaul] Re: [GPM] Stopping Home Depot > > > > Please Introduce Yourself > > What's your connection to St. Paul public schools? > > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > _________________________________________ > > > > > > Actually Dan, We spoke with the city councilperson > > representing the ward where the Home Depot was > looking > > to build and pointed out that city policy in St. > Paul > > required that companies recieving business from > the > > city provide for nondiscrimination on the basis of > > race, sex, sexual orientation, etc. > > > > At the time, Home Depot was subject of a national > > campaign to get the company to add sexual > orientation > > to their nondiscrimination policy. Both current > and > > former employees alleged that their was a definite > > need to address such discrimination within the > > company. Blakey staff stated that they would > bring > > this argument against the development forward > among > > other reasons to oppose the project. Other city > > council people were called about this issue. > > > > I did not say that the nondiscrimination issue was > > decisive. It did however play a role. > > > > Having a city ordinance that required that any > > companies recieving city business or subsidy of > any > > notable size needed to provide domestic > partnership > > benefits would disqualify Walmart from recieving > such > > subsidy as Walmart does not offer domestic > partnership > > benefits as Target, and many other retailers do. > > > > I am not saying this would be the reason such a > > project would be stopped cold as the company could > > always proceed without subsidy. However, this > would > > provide another tool against undesireable > developments > > such as Walmart. > > > > David Strand > > > > > > --- Dan Dobson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > I don't want to argue with David Strand, but I > > > thought > > > the Home Depot at University and Lexington was > > > stopped > > > because community activists wanted affordable > > > housing > > > at that site, Home Depot wanted substantial city > > > concessions and the defeat was due to those > factors, > > > and not due to Home Depot's sexual orientation > > > policies. > > > > > > Ordinarily, I am opposed to any city subsidies > to > > > large corporations. But this is how I see this. > At > > > the > > > time Home Depot wanted to build at University > and > > > Lex, > > > I owned three apartment buildings. I was > spending > > > between $250 and $1,000 a month on materials and > > > supplies at Home Depots in either Bloomington or > > > Maplewood. I had to drive further, was spending > $ > > > outside the city and couldn't help St. Paul. > > > > > > Here it is now 4 or 5 years later and there is > still > > > nothing on that site. Was that a victory? > > > > > > If a Home Depot were to be build there, that > would > > > be > > > between 150 and 200 well paying jobs, close to > the > > > heart of one of St. Paul's poorest > neighborhoods. I > > > wouldn't be spending my hard earned dollars in > > > Bloomington or Maplewood, burning up gas to > drive > > > there, but I would be spending my $ right in our > own > > > neighborhood. > > > > > > I thought at that time that a Home Depot could > be > > > built, with housing above it. I thought why not > make > > > it, a win-win. > > > > > > But today, the site sits as an decaying eyesore, > it > > > is > > > so bad, the owners have had to block off > entrances > > > to > > > the parking lot, and this space is adding > nothing to > > > the city tax base. > > > > > > I am not sure keeping Home Depot out was such a > > > great > > > "victory". > > > > > > Dan Dobson > > > Saint Paul > > > > > > > ==================================================== > > > Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 13:03:15 -0800 (PST) > > > From: David Strand <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > > > I know that a couple of years ago when Home > Depot > > > wanted to build on University Avenue in St. Paul > > > using > > > a city subsidy to fund part of the expense, > myself > > > and > > > numerous other Lavender Greens contacted city > hall > > > and > > > reminded them that they had a policy that did > not > > > allow such funding to go to companies that did > not > > > include sexual orientation in their > > > nondiscrimination > > > policies. > > > > > > IT WORKED! > > > > > > It played a role in blocking the Home Depot > > > development project and eventually Home Depot > added > > > sexual orientation to their nondiscrimination > > > policy. > > > > > > Home Depot and Wal-Mart have since added sexual > > > orientation to their policies. > > > > > > However, Wal-Mart does not offer domestic > > > partnership > > > benefits like Target and other retail companies > > > do(it's just yet another human cost factor in > the > === message truncated === __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? 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