Executive vice president of Target posted on the company’s blog that, “It is our belief that everyone should be treated equally under the law, and that includes rights we believe individuals should have related to marriage.”
Since when did it become the purview of corporate entities to get involved in the personal lives of people? Did we miss something.
Kozlak was previewing an amicus brief filed in the states of Wisconsin and Indiana addressing the states marriage laws. Kozlak said the brief, “evaluates the issues created by states that both prohibit same-sex marriage and also refuse to recognize marriages that were conducted legally in other states.”
Kozlak went on to say, “At Target, we have long offered comprehensive, competitive benefits to our LGBT team members and their families, often above what is legally required. We continue to do so today because we believe doing so is right for our team and for our business.”
Kozlak said that marriage laws in Wisconsin and Indiana “make it difficult to attract and retain talent,” and they “create confusing and complicated benefits challenges across multiple states.”
Last month the National Health Interview Survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that only 1.6 percent of those who participated self-identified as gay or lesbian, and even less, 0.7 percent, self-identified as bisexual. The outcome of this definitive study strongly suggests that the gay population in the United States is far less than perceived. If only two persons out of a hundred who be affected by state laws, why does Target find it difficult to “attract and retain talent?”
Target has not been having a very prosperous year and their failure to protect customers personal information would tend to suggest Target should be focusing on issues that truly matter to their stock holders. Just last week Target announced that it had hired PepsiCo Inc. executive Brian Cornell as its new chief executive officer.
Bloomberg Businessweek reported that former Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel was fired in May following the massive data breach that occurred last winter and a failed expansion into Canada. The data breech allowed the release of huge amounts of their customer’s personal information including phone numbers, 40 million credit and debit card numbers and 70 million addresses. Shares of Target’s stock have slumped by three percent following the company’s failure to protect its customers.
Attempting to close the holes in Target’s security has cost the company over $26 million in the first quarter of 2014 with only $8 million covered by their insurance. To say that Target’s stock holders are upset would be a epic understatement. Standard & Poor slashed Target’s debt rating in March.
With all the issues with the operation of the business, why does Target see it necessary to force the company into the controversial area of gay marriage? Corporations are not people; they do not have a freedom of speech. Target’s employees are free to say what they will, just as the owner of Chick-fil-a did. Dan Cathy did not speak for Chick-fil-a; he spoke for himself. Target on the other hand has decided to dip into waters that affect the other 98.3 percent of the population they hope to buy their products.
Not very smart Target. It won’t be surprising if in a few decades we’re asking each other if we remember Target.