Human Rights Campaign Suspends Walmart’s Corporate Equality Index Score

For Immediate Release
November 9, 2017
Contact: Jerame Davis – jdavis@prideatwork.org

Human Rights Campaign Suspends Walmart’s Corporate Equality Index Score

Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) released their 2018 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) for 2018. Thanks to a successful effort by the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF), HRC has suspended the score of Walmart citing their lack of enforcement of the policies that are considered under the CEI. Pride at Work Executive Director, Jerame Davis, reacted:

“We applaud TLDEF for their extraordinary work representing transgender Walmart employees who have been mistreated by the company and thank them for their efforts to get Walmart’s score in the CEI suspended. Pride at Work has, for years, pointed out the flaws in the CEI’s scoring model because it doesn’t consider the lived experience of the working people employed by these corporations. A policy that isn’t enforced – or that is enforced haphazardly – is not really a policy an employee can count upon.

“While HRC deserves credit for doing the right thing in this case, it is unfortunate that so many LGBTQ people had to face discrimination at the Walmart’s hands before they took action. In the last CEI, Walmart received a perfect score despite the fact that the company had just settled a class action lawsuit brought by LGBTQ people who had been denied spousal benefits.

“In light of this development, it is our sincere hope that HRC will take the necessary steps to ensure the CEI is an accurate measure of a corporation’s commitment to LGBTQ equality. Until the CEI includes a mechanism to ensure these policies are followed and enforced, it is impossible to consider these scores as anything other than aspirational. The strongest way to enforce workplace protections for LGTQ people is with a contract where employees can negotiate a fair return for their work, rather than relying on corporate-sponsored policy and enforcement mechanisms.

“As always, we stand ready to assist HRC in this effort. We believe the CEI can be made better and that it could become a true indicator of corporate commitment to the dignity and respect of LGBTQ working people.”
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Pride At Work builds power for LGBTQ working people to further social and economic justice. We seek full equality for LGBTQ Workers in our workplaces and unions and we organize in the spirit of the union movement’s historic motto, “An Injury to One is An Injury to All.” Learn more at www.prideatwork.org