Ford Motor Company has joined a long list of major companies to sever ties with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) – a conservative non-profit that provides model legislation for politicians to introduce, often at the state level.
The news was confirmed to the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) this week. In an email, Ford Spokesperson Christin Baker write: “As part of our annual budget review, we have adjusted our participation in several groups. We will not be participating in ALEC in 2016.”
The non-profit organization known as ALEC has come under fire in recent years, owing to an agenda largely seen as both anti-labor and anti-environment. Last November, Ford’s support for ALEC gained attention when flagged by website EcoWatch. Ford’s support for the group raised questions about the earnestness of the automaker’s commitment to the environment, despite myriad examples of Ford initiatives meant to reduce its ecological footprint.
Somewhat less attention was given to ALEC’s anti-labor agenda at the time, but that, too, has raised some concern. ALEC has been partly responsible for much of the recent shift in opinion regarding labor unions in the US, including authoring the so-called “Right to Work” bill passed in Michigan, Wisconsin, and elsewhere.
CMD reports that since 2011, when the Center launched the “ALEC Exposed” investigation, some 108 corporations and 19 non-profits have cut ties with the American Legislative Exchange Council. Ford Motor Company is just the latest example.
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