BENTONVILLE, Ark., April 2 (UPI) -- A comment by Walmart CEO Doug McMillon highlights the country's largest private employer as a potential force of social change.
Arkansas, Walmart's home state, was poised to enact a bill guaranteed religious freedom which some critics charge could be interpreted as condoning discrimination against gay people, until McMillon's statement on the Walmart Twitter feed helped push Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson to ask the legislature to amend the law.
The bill "threatens to undermine the spirit of inclusion present through the state of Arkansas and does not reflect the values we proudly uphold," McMillon wrote. "Every day, in our stores, we see firsthand the benefits diversity and inclusion have on our associates, customers and communities we serve. For these reasons, we are asking Gov. Hutchinson to veto this legislation."
The Arkansas bill followed, by days, controversy over a similar bill signed into law in Indiana. A number of companies stated their disapproval, and Republican Gov. Mike Pence ordered a re-examination and clarification of some of the bill's aspects. Businesses including Salesforce Inc., and as far away from the controversy as NASCAR and the NCAA, criticized the law.
For Walmart, the comment heralds a change in its image and stance. Formerly a quiet but potent part of the economy, more interested in shaving pennies off costs than social change, it is emerging as a corporate voice in social issues.
"They've done a complete 180," said Justin G. Nelson, president of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce told The New York Times. "You have a company that frankly was abysmal on LGBT issues if you go back five years, but has now become an employer that has a nondiscrimination policy that includes sexual orientation and gender identity, that is headquartered in an incredibly conservative state."
There are some in the Republican Party suggesting the GOP follow Walmart's lead.
Former Minnesota Gov. Tom Pawlenty told CNN that Walmart's actions "foreshadow where the Republican Party will need to move," noting the party must "put forward ideas that will help modest income workers, such as a reasonable increase in the minimum wage, and prohibit discrimination in things such as jobs, housing, public accommodation against gays and lesbians."
