Index of SPPS Budget Discussion http://www.e-democracy.org/stpaul/spps-posts.html _________________________________________ Did anyone read the press releases I sent? The city council including the controversy over their noninclusive nondiscrimination policy in the conversation around their location here played a role along with many other actions around the country in bringing about a change on a national level in the company's policy.
Was anyone else aware of the national campaign around this issue at Home Depot? This was not about how they treated their employees at local stores but that that treatment was widely inconsistent across the country. Are we really so myopic and parochial that we don't give a damn about what was happening to their employees in other parts of their country so long as local employees were treated well? The anecdotal evidence of treatment of local employees in a state that has one of the strongest nondiscrimination laws in the country concerning sexual orientation based discrimination has little meaning in the scope of the condition of the company's employees on a national level. Home Depot NOW includes sexual orientation in their national policy as a result of nationwide organizational efforts including those efforts in St. Paul. Thanks, David Strand --- Pamela Joy Ellison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I know first hand there are gay employees there with > HIV that are receiving health benefits, so I would > agree with you on that count. I think they take > much better care of all of their employees than > Menards does. > > Pam Ellison > Como Park > Saint Paul > ----- Original Message ----- > From: PAUL CASSIDY > To: David Strand ; Dan Dobson ; > [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; Pamela Joy Ellison > Cc: Pat Harris ; Dave Thune ; Donna Swanson ; St > Paul Forum ; Jay Benanav ; Dan Dobson ; Jane Prince > Sent: Sunday, February 29, 2004 9:17 PM > Subject: Re: [StPaul] Re: [GPM] Stopping Home > Depot > > > Pam & Dan win...David is wrong. I am sure HD > does not have a corporate mission statement (web > site is pretty clear-"everyone has value, regardles > of gender, ethnic or educational background")that > says they support or oppose sexual orientation. > They simply do what every good company should > do-support their employees, regardless of who they > are or what they believe. Hiring practices, > benefits, etc. HD walks the talk. So why would we > turn them away? Go over to the HD in the Quarry in > Mpls and take a look at the diversity of the > employees, managers and customers (remember > Knox?...never again) and the development that it has > fostered in that area of Northeast. > > Paul-St. Paul > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Pamela Joy Ellison > To: David Strand ; Dan Dobson ; > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Cc: Pat Harris ; Dave Thune ; Donna Swanson ; St > Paul Forum ; Jay Benanav ; Dan Dobson ; Jane Prince > Sent: Friday, February 27, 2004 5:45 AM > Subject: Re: [StPaul] Re: [GPM] Stopping Home > Depot > > > Index of SPPS Budget Discussion > > http://www.e-democracy.org/stpaul/spps-posts.html > _________________________________________ > > > 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 > === message truncated === __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Search - Find what you�re looking for faster http://search.yahoo.com _____________________________________________ SPPS Budget Reduction Forum - Feb. 23-27 Co-Sponsored By NEAT: http://www.stpaulneat.org/ _____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
