The number of companies leaving ALEC is now up to 13. Procter & Gamble is a huge company making such products as Tide, Bounty, Cascade, JIF and 100 others…adding to the list of already huge corporations leaving ALEC. If you don’t understand why ALEC is a big deal – click HERE.
Color of Change gives a press release:
On Friday afternoon, we learned that P&G began reviewing its membership in January and recently decided not to rejoin ALEC in 2012. External Relations Manager Elizabeth Ratchford told us via email that, ‘Decisions about which memberships we retain are guided by budgetary considerations, value to the business and engagement on issues core to our ability to compete in the marketplace.’ The multinational corporation made the determination that ALEC does not help P&G compete for consumers’ loyalty and support.
Unfortunately, Johnson & Johnson — a P&G competitor and maker of products including Listerine, Visine, and Band-Aid — has not come to the same decision, despite having heard from hundreds of ColorOfChange members and allies.
The companies that have already publicly left ALEC under pressure from Color of Change and Common Cause are:
Kraft, Pepsi,Coca-Cola, Intuit, the Gates Foundation, McDonalds, Wendy’s, Arizona Public Service, Mars, Inc., American Traffic Solutions, Reed Elsevier, Blue-Cross Blue Shield, Yum Brands (KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut) and now Procter & Gamble.
Of course – most people don’t realize that ALEC is set up as a charitable organization thus allowing companies to spend millions towards lobbying elected officials and claiming it as a write-off. The group Common Cause has filed a complaint with the IRS regarding what they consider manipulation and abuse of the tax code – the Raw Story has the story:
“It tells the IRS in its tax returns that it does no lobbying, yet it exists to pass legislation that serves the economic and partisan interests of its corporate members in states all over the country,” Common Cause President Bob Edgar said in a statement. “ALEC is not entitled to abuse its charitable tax status to lobby for private corporate interests, and stick taxpayers with the bill.”
“If Alec qualifies as a public charity, a 501(c)(3), then it may only engage in insubstantial lobbying say 1 or 2 per cent of [its] proceeds, unless it has made a 501(h) election,” Washington, D.C. attorney Kenneth A. Gross, who specializes in regulation of political activities, told Raw Story in an email exchange. “In that case it may spend up to 20 per cent but it is capped under a formula. Lobbying includes attempting to influence legislatures, both fed and state, and some executive branch activity. It also includes grassroots lobbying.”
BOYCOTTS WORK.
Color of Change is now pressuring AT&T, State Farm and Johnson & Johnson to leave ALEC. YOU CAN HELP. Email these people below and let them know how you feel about ALEC:
Johnson & Johnson
Jeffrey Leebaw
Vice President, Corporate Communication
Office telephone: +1-732-524-3350
Email – jleebaw@its.jnj.com
AT&T
State Regulatory/Legislative
Walt Sharp
Email - walt.sharp@att.com
214-708-4500
State Farm
Corporate Communications
Dick Luedke
(309) 766-3635
Email - dick.luedke.h2hj@statefarm.com
To see a list of the organizations that are members of ALEC – click HERE. Some might call this a corporatocracy.
