1. CORPORATE PERSPECTIVES ON DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN THE TRUMP ERA
Irit Tamir
November 2017

2. Diversity and Inclusion Research on 70 US Companies
Apparel
Banks and Finance
Extractives
Food and Beverage
Pharmaceuticals
Retail
Technology
Publicly available commitments to diversity and inclusion
Publicly advocated positions on President Trump’s Administration’s policies regarding diversity and inclusion between 1/11/2016 – 30/10/2017
Muslim travel ban, immigration reform, LGBTQ issues, gender equality, and the violence in Charlottesville
A statement was recorded for the purposes of this presentation if it specifically and directly addressed a particular issue
Ten of the largest companies, by revenue, across seven sectors: Apparel, Banks & Finance, Extractives, Food & Beverage, Pharmaceuticals, Retail, and Technology
Sources: company websites, CSR reports, social media feeds, lobbying disclosures
Research began by reviewing company diversity and inclusion statements.
I also followed company’s statements on diversity and inclusion in general by tracking their press releases, CSR reports, social media feeds, lobbying disclosures, and anything else that showed up in the news.
After recording all of the company statements, I noticed that most companies spoke about diversity and inclusion in general terms, and they often said they supported diversity and inclusion because it was good for business, not just because it’s the right thing to do.
Trump is very vocal about being a pro-business president. I wanted to see what these companies were saying about the most controversial d+i issues that have arisen during Trump’s presidency. This is not a comprehensive list of issues but they all had a direct impact on business.
A statement or action was not tallied for this presentation if a company said something like “diversity is good for business.” I tallied a statement if it was more specific like “we are committed to achieving gender parity by 2020” or “we support LGBTQ families by allowing for parental leave for adoptions”

3. KEY INSIGHTS 95% have diversity and inclusion value statements
Technology sector most vocal of Muslim travel ban
Technology sector most vocal on immigration reform and DACA
Banks & Finance, Food & Beverage, Pharmaceutical, and Technology sectors most supportive of LGBTQ causes
Food & Beverage and Pharmaceutical sectors most supportive of gender equality
7 companies made a public statement addressing the violence in Charlottesville
95% of companies across all 7 sectors have publicly available diversity and inclusion value statements, generally focused on their employees or relationships with business partners
The Technology sector was by far the most vocal on, and critical of, President Trump’s Muslim travel ban
32% of companies outside the Technology sector made a public statement
The Technology sector was also the most vocal on immigration reform and DACA
This sector, by far, had the strongest lobbying efforts on immigration
The Banks & Finance, Food & Beverage, Pharmaceutical, and Technology sectors were the most supportive of LGBTQ causes
The Food & Beverage and Pharmaceutical sectors were the most supportive of gender equality
7 companies made a public statement addressing the violence in Charlottesville
Only 1 company whose CEO was not on President Trump’s Strategic Policy Forum or American Manufacturing Council made a statement

4. Joint Action
Big Ideas for Women and Girls – open letter signed by 48 CEOs, including 6 covered in this presentation, urging Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to quickly select qualified individuals to positions that empower women and girls, especially the Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues
International Refugee Assistance Project v. Trump – 161 tech companies, including 6 covered in this presentation, filed an amicus brief supporting IRAP’s lawsuit opposing President Trump’s Muslim travel ban
Strategic and Policy Forum – Following President Trump’s remarks on the violence in Charlottesville, 3 CEOs represented in this presentation withdrew from the Forum. The remaining members of the Forum decided to disband a few days later.
American Manufacturing Council – Following President Trump’s remarks on the violence in Charlottesville, 3 CEOs represented in this presentation withdrew from the Council. The remaining members of the Council decided to disband a few days later.
Keep Texas Open for Business – an open letter signed by over 90 corporate leaders, including 9 covered in this presentation, urging Texas Governor Abbott to reject bathroom bills
Equality Act – The Human Rights Campaign organized a coalition of over 100 businesses, including 23 covered in this presentation, to support the bipartisan legislation seeking to pass federal legislation that would provide “clear and equal protections under federal law” for LGBTQ Americans
Coalition for the American Dream – a coalition of over 70 businesses, including 10 covered in this presentation seeking “the passage of bipartisan legislation that gives Dreamers a permanent solution in the calendar year 2017”
Evans v. Georgia Regional Hospital – 76 companies, including 6 covered in this presentation, filed an amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to hear the case which seeks a ruling affirming that sexual orientation discrimination violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
Across all 7 sectors, companies showed their commitment to diversity and inclusion by joining actions to support gender equality, sponsoring Pride parades, filing amicus briefs to oppose President Trump’s Muslim travel ban, supporting legislation to provide equal protection for LGBTQ Americans, etc.

5. Lobbying
Out of 70 Companies Only 3 Food & Beverage and all 10 Technology Companies lobbied on diversity an inclusion issues
3 Food & Beverage and all 10 Technology lobbied on diversity an inclusion issues
Most companies focused their lobbying efforts on highly-skilled immigration
8 companies disclosed lobbying on other immigration issues such as DACA, refugees, and the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act
6 companies in the Technology sector disclosed lobbying on “issues related to diversity in the workplace,” “diversification of the tech workforce,” and “diversity and inclusion in the workforce and in general”
The Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act is bipartisan legislation that has provisions to give opportunities for undocumented immigrants to gain legal status and citizenships, increase border security, and reform the talent-based immigration process.

6. And then there is Tax Reform…
90% of companies Disclosed lobbying on tax issues
100% of companies in the Bank & Finance, Extractives, Food & Beverage, Pharmaceuticals, and Technology sectors
Although companies are required to disclose how much they spend on lobbying and what issues they are lobbying on, many lobbying disclosures are vague. Most lobbying disclosures simply state a firm lobbied on “tax issues”
The House Republican Blueprint on Tax Reform would significantly reduce corporate tax rates.