70k Demand UPS and FedEx Leave ALEC, Stop Funding Climate Denial and Animal Cruelty
Nearly 70,000 people have signed petitions to pressure UPS and FedEx to leave the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a conservative public policy lobbying group known for its opposition to environmental regulations. The two Care2 petitions warn UPS and FedEx that consumers will send their holiday mail through other carriers if the companies do not quit ALEC.
Last year, ALEC saw a mass exodus of companies under pressure from various stakeholder groups. Microsoft severed ties with ALECs Communications and Technology Task Force in August in response to ALECs anti-renewables stance after prompting from investors. Google followed suit shortly after, after urging from enviromental groups; during the announcement, chairman Eric Schmidt said he felt ALEC is making the world a much worse place, and added, We should not be aligned with such people. They are just literally lying [about climate change]. By the end of September, Facebook and Yelp ditched the council. AOL and SAP soon followed. eBay confirmed its departure in December after several months of pressure from activists.
Many of these companies were quick to say they had limited involvement with ALEC that their only involvement was a certain task force, for example. Former eBay CEO John Donahoe clarified by saying, We are only with them [ALEC] on one issue: Internet, and we are not with them on climate change.
With eBay out, were looking to AT&T, Verizon, FedEx and UPS to follow suit and distance themselves from ALECs extreme climate denial agenda, said Ryan Canney, Senior Campaigner with Climate Truth (formerly Forecast the Facts). If they choose to stay with ALEC, well be taking the issue to their customers, shareholders and employees.
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