NEW YORK (AP) — Starbucks has accused a union representing thousands of its baristas of damaging the brand and endangering co-workers with pro-Palestinian tweets.
The CEO of a leading technology conference has resigned amid backlash over his public statements suggesting that Israel committed war crimes.
Company bosses have vowed not to hire members of a university student group that condemns Israel.
Meanwhile, Islamic rights advocates say much of the corporate response has minimized the suffering in Gaza, where thousands have been killed in Israeli airstrikes, and created an atmosphere of fear for workers who want to express support for the Palestinians.
Jewish groups have criticized the weak or slow response to the October 7 Hamas rampage that killed 1,400 people in Israel and sparked the latest war.
The fallout from the Israel-Hamas war has spilled over into workplaces everywhere, as top leaders of top companies weigh their views while workers complain their voices aren’t being heard.
People from all walks of life have been called out for speaking too loudly – or not loudly enough – making it nearly impossible to come up with a unifying message when passion is running high on all sides.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla sits on a podium at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 19, 2023. The effects of the Israel-Hamas war have spilled over into workplaces everywhere.AP
Many US companies have strong ties to Israel, particularly among technology and financial firms that have operations and employees in the country.
Executives at JP Morgan Chase & Co., Goldman Sachs, Google and Meta were among dozens who were quick to condemn the Hamas attacks and express solidarity with the Israeli people in public statements, social media posts or even corporate calls.
Many pledged millions of dollars in humanitarian aid and detailed efforts to protect workers in Israel.
Several chief executives poured out their personal grief.
In a LinkedIn post and letter to employees, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said he was on the phone with friends and relatives in Israel and expressed his horror at hearing “civilians of all ages are being targeted and killed in cold blood, hostages taken and tortured.”
He asked employees to check on each other and said Pfizer was launching a humanitarian aid campaign.
“It is not enough to condemn these actions – we ourselves must take action,” Bourla wrote.
Responses to opposing views were swift, including a response to a tweet from Web Summit CEO Paddy Cosgrave suggesting Israel committed war crimes.
Paddy Cosgrave, CEO and founder of Web Summit. The fallout from the Israel-Hamas war has spilled over into workplaces everywhere, as top leaders of top companies weigh their views and workers complain their own voices aren’t being heard.AP
“I will never attend/sponsor/speak at any of your events again,” said former Facebook executive David Marcus on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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Faced with a growing boycott of next month’s Web Summit, Europe’s leading gathering of thousands of technology leaders, Cosgrave resigned on Saturday, saying that “his personal comments have become a distraction from the event, and our team, our sponsors, our startup and the people in attendance.”
His resignation came days after he issued a lengthy message condemning Hamas attacks and apologizing for the timing of his earlier tweets while defending his overall views on the conflict.
But companies continued to pull out of the conference, including Google, Meta, German tech conglomerate Siemens, and US chipmaker Intel.
Jonathan Neman, CEO of the Sweetgreen restaurant chain, was among several company leaders who vowed not to hire Harvard students who belonged to a group that signed a statement blaming Israel for the violence.
International law firm Winston & Strawn has rescinded a job offer to a New York University student who wrote a message in the Student Bar Association newsletter saying Israel was entirely to blame for the bloodshed.
Starbucks and the union representing thousands of its baristas are suing each other over pro-Palestinian tweets by the union. AP
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, an Islamic civil rights group, condemned the response to the students and statements from US corporate leaders that “show no meaningful sympathy for the Palestinian people.”
Those reactions combined, the organization said, leaving “Palestinians and those who support Palestinian human rights isolated in their workplaces and fearful of possible consequences” for discussing how the conflict has affected them.
Isra Abuhasna, a data scientist in the Chicago area, was among several professionals who expressed similar thoughts on social media, saying in a LinkedIn post that she “risked her entire career” by expressing her views on the conflict.
Rockets from Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system move to intercept rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, Israel, Thursday, Oct. 19. 2023.AP
Abuhasna, a Palestinian American who has worked for real estate firms and other companies but recently took a break to stay home with her two young children, said she fears her position will make it difficult to find a new position. But he says his parents raised him to be proud and vocal about the Palestinian cause.
“It’s my identity,” said Abuhasna. “What good am I in my job if I compromise my own morals and ethics?”
One of the biggest disputes erupted at Starbucks after Starbucks Workers United, a union representing 9,000 workers at more than 360 US stores, tweeted “Solidarity with Palestine” two days after the Hamas attack.
The tweet was deleted within 40 minutes, but the company said it led to more than 1,000 complaints, acts of vandalism and angry confrontations at its stores.
Starbucks filed suit to prevent Starbucks Workers United from using its name and a similar logo. Workers United, the parent union of Starbucks Workers United, responded with its own lawsuit saying Starbucks defamed the union by implying it supports terrorism. It wants to continue using the company name.
Starbucks Workers United sent a longer message on Friday denouncing Israel’s “occupation” and the “threat of genocide facing the Palestinian people” while also condemning antisemitism and Islamophobia.
Angela Berg, founder of workplace consulting firm Perelaks, said companies with strong opinions about the war should say so, but “the critical thing is that they acknowledge the existence of the other side’s experience.” Those who try to stay out, Berg said, need to explain their reasons to employees.
As the humanitarian catastrophe worsens in Gaza, more company leaders are addressing the situation, including Accenture CEO Julie Sweet, who said the company is splitting a $3 million donation between Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service and the Palestinian Red Crescent.
But companies that keep a low profile have had pushback.
Allison Grinberg-Funes, who is Jewish, wrote in a LinkedIn post that she was frustrated by her friends’ failure to reach out immediately after the Hamas attack.
Although they eventually reached out, Grinberg-Funes said in an interview with The Associated Press that she remains disappointed her employer, Liberty Mutual, did not publicly condemn the attack.
The Boston-based content designer for an insurance company said the silence is part of a broader “lack of support” for the Jewish community that he and his colleagues have observed at work.
“We want to know that our lives are as important as the other workers who have been shown support,” said Grinberg-Funes, 33, who has family and friends in Israel.
Liberty Mutual did not respond to a request for comment.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
