Today, Justin Danhof, Esq., General Counsel and Free Enterprise Project Director at the National Center for Public Policy Research moved Proposal #4, which seeks to
increase viewpoint diversity.
Presently, Starbucks’s Equal Employment Opportunity Policy
states that “[a]ll partners and applicants will be treated fairly, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, gender identity and expression, genetic information, or any other factor protected by law.”
Danhof stated the proposal made a very simple request – to
extend that policy to include protections against viewpoint discrimination.
All across corporate America, the political left is engaged in a fierce cancel-culture that seeks to root out conservatives.
As noted in the proposal, companies such as
Facebook and Google routinely fire conservative employees when they speak about their values. At the 2019 annual meeting of Apple shareholders, an audience member told company CEO Tim Cook about her close friend who works at Apple and lives in fear of retribution every single day because she happens to be a conservative. What she described was the textbook definition of a hostile work environment.
Starbucks has also refused requests to increase the viewpoint diversity of its board. This signals to employees that viewpoint discrimination is condoned if not encouraged.
The leading cancel-culture group, the Southern Poverty Law Center, has made
veiled threats against any corporation that hires former Trump Administration officials.
And former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz once
berated a shareholder for his belief in adherence to traditional marriage – a view held by billions of Christians, Jews and Muslims worldwide.
When Danhof met with Starbucks executives regarding this proposal, he relayed concerns that many conservatives and religious-minded Americans have had with the company over the span of many years.
Danhof noted that in light of the company’s radical left-wing stances on the environment, immigration, and social justice issues, many conservatives avoid consuming Starbucks. Furthermore, many conservative and religious Americans would never consider working for Starbucks. This means that the company’s left-wing policy stances are limiting the company’s potential workforce.
FEP's proposal offers Starbucks a means to alleviate this concern.
By signaling to conservatives that the company makes employment decisions free from viewpoint biases, Starbucks would increase the number of Americans willing both to buy Starbucks products and to consider working for the company.
Unfortunately, Danhof's concerns, and his offer to help the company improve its outreach to conservatives, fell on deaf ears. So Free Enterprise Project is calling on Starbucks investors to do what its leaders wouldn’t do.
FEP believes that diverse workforces can think more critically and deliver greater results. That’s a win for investors and a win for true diversity. 
