UPS Brings Commitment and Support to Pride Month
June 11 2019 - 09:30AM
UPS (NYSE: UPS) is continuing its support for the LGBTQ community,
and UPS employees are volunteering their own time in more than a
dozen pride celebrations. The company is also extending its global
commitment to diversity and inclusion by confirming support for two
new initiatives and continuing to drive progress through business
and community efforts.
UPS’s support of the United Nations Global LGBTI Standards of
Conduct for Business demonstrates the organization’s alignment with
the global standards designed to advance equality within
corporations and across value chains. The areas addressed by the
Standards include: Respect Human Rights, Eliminate Discrimination,
Provide Support, Prevent Other Human Rights Violations, and Act in
the Public Sphere.
UPS has also confirmed its commitment through The Business
Statement on Transgender Equality, led by the Human Rights Campaign
(HRC) and Out Leadership. Through this commitment, UPS is calling
for all people to be treated with respect and dignity, and
reaffirming that the company opposes any administrative and
legislative efforts to roll back transgender protections through
reinterpretation of existing laws and regulations.
The commitments are in addition to the announcement in March
2019 that UPS received a 100% rating on the Human Rights Campaign
Foundations’ Corporate Equality Index, and the designation of being
a “Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality.” UPS also received the
prestigious “Best-of-the-Best” designation for 2019 from the
National Business Inclusion Consortium, which honors organizations
for their commitment to diverse employees and business owners.
In a recent statement to UPS’s LGBTQ and Allies Business
Resource Group, UPS Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer and
President of The UPS Foundation Eduardo Martinez called out the
importance of these commitments saying, “Our company recognizes
that it plays an important role in acknowledging basic human rights
in accordance with our values and high standards for the ethical,
inclusive treatment of people around the world. No person
should be denied the right to be treated equally among all people;
all should enjoy the personal freedom from persecution and
economic, social, and cultural opportunities.”
The UPS Foundation, which leads the global citizenship programs
for UPS, is bringing support for diversity and inclusion actions in
communities, with a new commitment of more than $11.5 million in
grants to support organizations focused on empowerment, education
and leadership. The grants include funding for the Human Rights
Campaign Foundation’s Workplace Project, a nationally recognized
source of expert information on LGBTQ issues, and support for the
Global Workplace Equality Coalition, focused on global LGTBQ
inclusion.
UPS employees are demonstrating support by participating in more
than a dozen Pride Month events across the U.S. and Europe, and
through hands-on volunteer work and financial support for
non-profit organizations focused on supporting the LGBTQ community.
Among the organizations receiving support is the United Way Arise
Project, which seeks to bring caring professionals together to
support the lives of LGBTQ homeless youth. UPS will also be
sponsoring the Reaching Out MBA, (ROMBA) conference in October, a
student-run event created to empower professionals to lead the way
to equality in business education, in the workplace, and throughout
society.
Within UPS, LGBTQ & Allies Business Resource Groups in the
U.S. and Europe provide ongoing support and activities to foster a
safe, equitable workspace, positively impact inclusion within the
communities where UPSers live and work, and provide outreach to the
LGBTQ community that affirms UPS is an advocate.
UPSer Joe Rayburn, who chartered one of the first UPS LGBTQ and
Allies Business Resource Groups, explains why, “Being in the closet
is very uncomfortable. Playing the pronoun game, trying to remember
what you’ve said to whom and what pronouns you’re using when
talking about your personal life -- you spend so much time thinking
about how to hide your personal truth. There’s a lot of fear, and
it consumes so much energy. Coming out at work was a huge relief.
The reception I received within UPS from the top down has always
been nothing but kindness and acceptance. After I came out, I
wanted to help create a group that would help others at UPS feel
the same support I did.”
All of the company’s and employees’ support of the LGBTQ
community during Pride Month is part of an even broader focus on
diversity and inclusion.
UPS recognizes and embraces the value of inclusion as a core
business focus. New initiatives focused on employees, customers,
suppliers and communities are using the power of UPS’s vast global
workforce to create opportunities for advancement and economic
strength for populations that have been traditionally underserved.
Some of these initiatives and commitments include:
- The UPS Women Exporters Program, a partnership with the
International Trade Centre’s SheTrades initiative, helps to train
and connect women entrepreneurs to enable them to gain access to
global markets. This is complemented by our collaboration with
USAID as part of the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity
Initiative (W-GDP) aimed at training more women entrepreneurs to
tap into global business markets.
- At the Transitional Learning Center at the UPS Worldport
global hub in Louisville, Kentucky, the company provides
pre-employment training to build a pathway for success for people
who have neurological challenges and face discriminiation or
suppression of employment opportunities. The program is a
cooperative effort between UPS and the Coalition for Workforce
Diversity. A film about the program received the 2019 Boston
College Center for Citizenship “Best in Show” award.
- The dedication to drive inclusion is reflected in UPS’s top
leadership. The company is one of more than 650 signatories of the
CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion™ pledge.
- Most recently, UPS Chairman and CEO David Abney spoke at the
Operation HOPE Global Forum, underpinning the company’s
continued support for economic empowerment, which enables diverse
groups to realize their full potential.
Standing up for others is an underlying theme within all of
these efforts. Said UPSer Joe Rayburn, “The most impactful moments
over the last seven years have been when that unidentified ally
made a point of being very blatant and visible in their support of
my community. Being given that express permission to bring my whole
authentic self to work is what makes me so grateful to work at this
company every day.”
About UPS
UPS (NYSE: UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a
broad range of solutions including transporting packages and
freight; facilitating international trade, and deploying advanced
technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. UPS is
committed to operating more sustainably – for customers, the
environment and the communities we serve around the world.
Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 220 countries and
territories worldwide. UPS was awarded America’s Best Customer
Service company for Shipping and Delivery services by Newsweek
magazine; Fortune magazine’s Most Valuable Brand in Transportation;
and top rankings on the JUST 100 list for social responsibility,
the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, and the Harris Poll
Reputation Quotient, among other prestigious rankings and awards.
The company can be found on the web at ups.com or pressroom.ups.com
and its corporate blog can be found at longitudes.ups.com. The
company’s sustainability eNewsletter, UPS Horizons, can be
found at ups.com/sustainabilitynewsletter. Learn more about
our sustainability efforts at ups.com/sustainability. To get UPS
news direct, follow @UPS_News on Twitter.
About The UPS Foundation
Since its founding in 1907, UPS has built a legacy as a caring
and responsible corporate citizen, supporting programs that provide
long-term solutions to community needs. Founded in 1951, The UPS
Foundation leads its global citizenship programs and is responsible
for facilitating community involvement to local, national, and
global communities. In 2018, UPS and its employees, active and
retired, invested more than $114.9 million in charitable giving
around the world. The UPS Foundation can be found on the web
at UPS.com/Foundation and @UPS_Foundation on
Twitter.
June Holder
404-828-4805
jholder@ups.com
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