Civil Rights Groups, Labor Unions & Corporations in Alabama to Join Forces Against HB 56?
Well, we’re not sure if they’ll be joining forces just yet, but groups in Alabama have reached out to large automakers with a presence in the state to meet and discuss the discriminatory law and the collateral consequences affecting their businesses.
From National Council of La Raza Executive Director Janet Murguia’s HuffPost piece:
Evidence of the detrimental effects that this legislation has had on business in Alabama continues to mount. A new report by the University of Alabama estimates that HB 56 could cost the state between $2.3 billion and $10.8 billion in economic output, $264.5 million in tax revenue, and 70,000 to 140,000 direct and indirect job losses. The heavy-handed nature of HB 56 has also created an unwelcoming environment for foreign investment. In fact, after the law was implemented, a German Mercedes-Benz manager and a Honda executive from Japan were detained for not carrying the identification documents required under HB 56.
This is why this coalition of civil rights and labor organizations reached out to the three top foreign automobile manufacturers in Alabama–Honda, Hyundai, and Daimler AG, which owns Mercedes-Benz–requesting a meeting to discuss the problems surrounding this discriminatory law. The automobile industry was at the forefront of rebuilding Alabama’s economy in the aftermath of the civil rights crisis that gripped the state throughout the 60s’ and continues to rely heavily on the Latino population for growth. These companies are also some of the most innovative in the world with solid records promoting diversity. We strongly believe that their companies should not want to do business in a state that is trying to replicate some of its most egregious sins of the past century.
We are very pleased to announce that NCLR has received a response from Hyundai and that we hope to be sitting down with them in the very near future. We also hope that other prominent automakers and businesses leaders will follow suit so that we can work with them to restore justice to the state of Alabama. NCLR, the Latino community in Alabama and nationally, and our partner organizations are determined to do whatever we can to repeal this repellent law.
Let’s see what happens… Thoughts?