Tuesday, December 11, 2012

FRC Abandons Ship with UPS


Family Research Council

In this busy shipping season, UPS will have at least one less customer to worry about: FRC. After 11 years as our official carrier, FRC is suspending its contract with UPS for openly discriminating against the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). In November, company executives announced that they would no longer support organizations that refuse to bow to their politically correct view of homosexuality. Although Vice President Kristen Patrella insisted UPS's decision didn't specifically target the Scouts, theirs was the only group affected. UPS promised to end its charitable donations to the Scouts "until gay Scout leaders are welcome within the organization."

According to most reports, the shipping giant altered its policy after an online petition drive at the liberal website, change.org, encouraged companies to end their BSA partnerships. But in the end, the 83,000 signatures it collected is a drop in the ocean compared to the 1,074,775 Americans who volunteered with a troop last year -- or the 2.7 million boys who were actual members of the Boy Scouts. Yet they, the overwhelming majority, are the ones for whom UPS has shown the greatest contempt -- and whose valuable activities will suffer as a result.

FRC tried to resolve the matter behind the scenes, even contacting Chairman and CEO Scott Davis with a letter of protest -- to which UPS promptly replied. Unfortunately, the company only reiterated its position that until the BSA puts a greater priority on the political agenda of LGBT activists than the protection of Scouts, they are not entitled to the same equality UPS claims to endorse. Apparently, the company isn't interested in true diversity but in strong-arming anyone who disagrees with their extreme agenda -- including a century-old youth development program, whose only crime is instilling character into millions of American boys. As for their longstanding policy on homosexuality, the Boy Scouts are doing what every parent would want them to: putting children's safety first.

Meanwhile, it seems UPS is not only anti-freedom, but anti-religion as well. Last week, the federal government sued the company for firing a Jehovah's Witness driver over a scheduling request. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) argues that the shipping giant violated America's anti-discrimination laws when it refused to modify the employee's hours so that he could attend a special church service. "When the employee refused to compromise his religious beliefs and attended instead of reporting for work, UPS fired him. UPS also assigned him a 'do not hire' status and refused to hire him when he applied for a different position at UPS's Staten Island facility," the EEOC press release explains .

If UPS wants to cater to the intolerant crowd, that's their business. But from now on, it won't be ours. FRC is taking its shipping needs elsewhere.