Business Coalition for the Uniting American Families Act
“As part of a global organization, our people think and act globally while working seamlessly across geographic boundaries and industry sectors. All Ernst & Young member firms recognize the need to recruit and retain talent around the world without the constraints of discriminatory immigration and visa status.”
– Karyn L. Twaronite, Americas Inclusiveness Officer, Ernst & Young
Coalition's Letter (PDF)
Immigration Equality Action Fund created the Business Coalition for the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) to mobilize American companies who are fed up with the loss of talented LGBT employees due to immigration restrictions.
The Coalition is a group of global businesses calling on Congress to pass the Uniting American Families Act, S.296 / H.R.519. Congress needs to hear that current law adversely affects businesses and that America is more competitive when it recognizes LGBT families.
Below is a list of the diverse companies that have joined the Coalition, and are helping to educate Congress on why passage of the Uniting American Families Act makes good business sense. Congress has taken notice of corporate support and UAFA was introduced in the 113th Congress with bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate.
UAFA Background Memo (PDF)
Republican Congressman Richard Hanna (NY-22), on joining as cosponsor of the legislation said:
"Businesses large and small in New York, many of them multinational corporations, are struggling to keep some of their best workers in the United States .... We can keep jobs, dollars and talent right here in the United States by simply allowing financially and emotionally committed couples to live together in the same country.”
Join the Business Coalition
On the right is the Coalition’s letter to Congress and a short background memo on the issue. By signing on, your company affirms its commitment to equal treatment for LGBT employees and the need to recruit and retain the most talented people, regardless of sexual orientation.
The Cost of LGBT Exclusion: How Discriminatory Immigration Laws Hurt Business (PDF)
To sign on to the letter or if you have questions about the Coalition and would like further information, please contact Chris Fleming, Senior Manager of Corporate Partnerships, by phone at 212 714-2904 extension 311 or by email.
Business Coalition Members
American Airlines
Fort Worth, Texas
Bain & Company
Boston, Massachusetts
Barclays
New York, New York
BNP Paribas
New York, New York
Boehringer Ingelheim USA
Ridgefield, Connecticut
Bristol-Myers Squibb
New York, New York
Carlson
Minnetonka, Minnesota
Cisco Systems
San Jose, California
Citi
New York, New York
Diageo
Norwalk, Connecticut
The Dow Chemical Company
Midland, Michigan
eBay Inc.
San Jose, California
Ernst & Young LLP
New York, New York
The Estée Lauder Companies
New York, New York
Fifth & Pacfic Companies
New York, New York
Goldman Sachs
New York, New York
Google
Mountain View, California
Intel
Santa Clara, California
Marriott International
Bethesda, Maryland
Medtronic
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Merck & Co., Inc.
Whitehouse Station, New Jersey
Nike
Beaverton, Oregon
Ogilvy & Mather
New York, New York
Omnicom
New York, New York
Pfizer
New York, New York
Replacements, Ltd.
Greensboro, North Carolina
Starwood
White Plains, New York
Texas Instruments
Dallas, Texas
Thomson Reuters
New York, New York
US Airways
Tempe, Arizona