Today is election day in the United States. In a country with deep internal division, there’s more on the ballot than choosing the next President. In California, voters will consider Prop 16, a controversial ballot initiative that would restore affirmative action at public institutions in California. United Airlines has told employees that it supports Prop 16.
United Airlines: We Support Restoration Of Affirmative Action In California (Prop 16)
There are many controversial issues across the nation that will be voted on today, but to my knowledge United Airlines has only taken a position on one issue: Prop 16 in California.
In 1996, California voters amended the state constitution to prohibit state governmental institutions from considering race, sex, or ethnicity, specifically in the areas of public employment, public contracting, and public education. Prop 16 would overrun the constitutional amendment and again permit government decision-making policies to consider race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin “in order to address diversity.”
United Airlines told employees:
United is deeply committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion within our company as well as endorsing political action that supports furthering those efforts in citizens’ everyday lives. United has joined over 30 major San Francisco businesses (The Golden State Warriors, Salesforce and Twitter, to name a few) to sign an open letter in support of California’s Proposition 16, firmly believing that this legislative change will promote racial and gender equity, contributing to California’s economic success…
As an organization made of a diverse workforce, we are proud to support legislation that furthers the success of underrepresented communities.
The open letter argues:
Affirmative action is essential to combat the systemic racism entrenched in our country and state. We need affirmative action to fight discrimination, level the playing field, and increase our workforce diversity. A recent Citigroup report found that America’s economic health could have accelerated by $16 trillion in additional growth if not for structural inequities and barriers to education, housing access, wages and business investment between Black and White Americans over the past 20 years. Compounding these shortcomings with a less diversified talent pipeline not only inhibits lifting up the collective prospects of our neighborhoods, but it also cedes novel innovation, small business growth, and GDP to our competitors around the globe as they prioritize diverse representation as an economic engine…
California is one of only nine states in the U.S. that bans affirmative action, still accepting old, and unfounded, misconceptions about affirmative action. The Supreme Court has ruled that racial quotas are unconstitutional. Proposition 16 will not lead to quotas, but it will pave the way for women and people of color to equally compete for government contracts, provide equal opportunity for all in education and work, and continue to diversify the California workforce so that it reflects our state’s demographics.
You can read the full letter here.
Jessica Kimbrough, United’s Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, added:
“United’s support of Prop 16 illustrates how we can holistically influence positive progress for the employees, customers, suppliers and communities we serve.”
Like the BLM pins, this issue has stirred far more controversy than unity within United. I’ve spoken to several United employees about this and reaction is quite mixed. Some support it, others do not. Those against it are petrified of speaking out publicly against it for fear of reprisals from colleagues and management. One talked my ear off, noting this proposition is solely designed to lower the number of Asians accepted to California’s public colleges and universities. That may indeed be a troubling byproduct of this initiative, though I have seen no evidence to suggest that is the motive for Prop 16.
CONCLUSION
United’s choice to wade into a contentious political issue is an inserting policy choice. Voter sentiment is divided, with recent polling suggesting 49% are opposed and 38% in favor of the constitutional amendment.
California Prop 16 – making racism and bigotry legal again!
I agree! As a minority, aa is literally patronization! No, I don’t need you to lower your standards for me, nor do I need you to force me into thinking that you’re there to help me!
100% agreed. So let’s diminish the hard work and years of schooling that people of ALL RACES accomplish, and lower standards for people who have no education or experience simply because they are of a certain race. This is a slap in the face TO EVERY SINGLE RACE, CREED AND COLOUR and it causes more discrimination, more racism, more intolerance, more disdain and more hate, and you have one of the most corrupt discriminatory companies supporting it. Ask them how they go roundabout ways to get rid of persons with mental health issues so their hands are squeaky clean…. A true step backwards for racial equality and harmony in America. Shame on you California.
Jessica Kimbrough, and by extension United, is an avowed racist whose job is to sow hatred and division amongst the employees. We already had enough labor issues without her poisonous presence making everything 10x worse.
Affirmative Action in the US has required Asian Americans do at least twice as much to barely get half as far. It’s racist and it’s wrong. No surprise United Airlines, which beat an elderly Asian American doctor, Dr. David Dao, into oblivion for not giving up his seat to a pilot, doesn’t care about us.
I highly recommend folks read the thinking of Ward Connerly, an African American gentlemen who grew up the Jim Crow South and then in the 1990’s spearheaded the end of Affirmative Action in California as he knew judging based on race was wrong, whether in the Jim Crow South or modern, woke California . Ward came out of retirement this year (in his 80s!) to fight back this retrograde measure.
Disappointing decision by United Airlines. And a slap in the face to all hardworking people of any race – who deserve to be selected solely on their own merits. Virtue signaling helps no one and serves to only victimize those it pretends to aid.
IMO, it’s designed more to reduce the number of white people in just about everything, rather than Asians in higher education. It’s sickeningly racist.
California is an absolute disaster starting with fiscal policy to their attempts at social engineering (sounds a lot like UAL). Time after time their policies are complete unmitigated failures for the nation to laugh at (UAL again—see a pattern yet?). It’s hilarious also to see the mass exodus from the state especially when top tech executives (who say they’re proud dems) are all working remotely from red states (Texas, Tennessee, Florida) during these times so they can avoid CA state income tax.
Correcton:
United Airlines: We Support Restoration Of Discriminatory Action In California.
Boarding Group 1: Self-identifying victims of discrimination
Boarding Group 2: United-identified victims of discrimination
Boarding Group 3: Marginal victims of discrimination
Boarding Group 4: GSM/1K flyer privilege
Boarding Group 5: Lower ranks
Excellent Chris, great boarding announcements
Disgusting. This is a blow for all whites and asians. Do you want to become an airline with worse service? Then feel free to hire blacks, latinos, and people whose sexualities are so messed up that they probably can’t even be considered human beings anymore!
People like you are why LGBTQ protections exist
So United wants to discriminate against me? OK, well I will discriminate against them and never give them another dollar. Get woke go broke.
you forgot the plus + sign you vile bigot, and maybe an X
Awwww all the triggered Trump Sycophants out in full force today with their Dear Leader about to go down in flames tonight. Too bad.
UA-TDS has wholly embraced the left’s doublethink, of course. Opposing Proposition 16 is real anti-racism. Even most Californians saw it for what it was. How about that blue wave? How will a Harris administration with Joe Biden as President end the filibuster, pack the Supreme Court and admit the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico as states now?
Total virtue signaling on the part of United.
Prop 16 only affects public entities. It will have no effect on United. Easy for United to support Prop. 16.
But those public entities have travel budgets and United can benefit from their virtue signaling, Race Hustling corporate ideology. Maybe United sees this as a way to reduce the hate-crime hoaxes they frequently face?
United should stay out of purely political issues, such as this. It’s a lose-lose for any business to take sides here; half of the people will accuse you of reverse racism if you come out for it, or half accuse you of being racist if your business claims to be against this. Why open your big mouth and get involved? It’s stupid and offends many current and potential customers. Not everyone appreciates this virtue signalling nonsense.
#BoycotUnited I am shocked that the government and then business are going to allow RACISM. That’s exactly what this is. I never liked United anyway, and will not support them ever again. Adios racists!
I was against this proposition, but I’ll be honest if its passing means the wiener runt of a repressed Comptroller turned CEO-kamikaze pilot, Scott Kirby loses his job due to his skin and hair color, I think I’ll vote for this thing. Anything to have him and his corrupt family feel pain and I’ll vote for it.
I have not been a United elite for quite a few years. I feel discriminated against. It is a miracle that my blood does not boil when I see them rich fat cats in first or business class, them snobs that get upgrades. I take it in stride but just because I’m like an obedient slave on the plantation saying “Master, have a beauuuuuuuutiful day!” Every month, for maybe 3 random days, there should be affirmative action where all the first and business passengers have their boarding passes cancelled and reissued as seat 35A or similar. My boarding pass for 36C would be changed to 2A.
Cattle Passengers of the World Unite on United!!! Each according to his ability, to each according to his needs. I need F class once in a while. Affirmative action for me.
(just kidding, Matthew deserves his United upgrade for his loyalty) Seriously, affirmative action is racism that is supposed to combat past racism. The people who may, as a class, experienced racism have a claim for affirmative action but not in excess of their discrimination. In reality, it is the attractive and well educated Blacks that take advantage of affirmative action while the obese, ugly, uneducated Blacks still have a disadvantage. The good looking in every race have always had an advantage.
What the hell are you talking about? Are you OK.. ?
I will sure try to avoid flying in United flights from now on and will tell my white and Asian friends United Airline discriminate against them by supporting prop 16.
Boycott United!
“There is another class of coloured people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs — partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs.”
― Booker T. Washington
First people need to get dictionaries and look up what minority means. Second, look up what discrimination means. Then finally, look up Martin Luther King. If you mean non-whites when you say minority, you’re the problem. And people, companies, and organizations need to be banned from talking about gender or race when making points of conversation. A lot of people say ‘black person’ or ‘white person’ and interestingly enough, they’re both “people”.
Calif had dozens of Prop….on their ballot all usually raising TAXES and all usually voted in for more TAXES in a state that wins the prize for the most taxes////crazy LIBS
Between BLM pins and Affirmative Action.. UA is slowly dying. I will NEVER fly UA.
” (United) — As an organization made of a diverse workforce, we are proud to support legislation that furthers the success of underrepresented communities”. Does United know that many underrepresented communities are full of kids who have been truant and whose parents have no clue or don’t care. No rules in the home exist or are applied so how are they going to be qualified for adult jobs ? Right, they’re not.
In other words United has “enhanced” the meaning of Affirmative Action even further. They have basically redefined it to allow anyone of any educational background (or lack thereof) to join their ranks. Qualifications, talent, proper speaking, discipline and good manners won’t matter, I guess, just fill the gap with anyone who is breathing and shows up for the interview. Show up in jeans, tee-shirts, flip-flops, cut-off tops and any other outfit regardless if appropriate or not. If the last 10-20 years is indicative of the quality of life that United has hired and will now dumb it down to even worse……let this speak for itself — (eye roll x 10,000).
Oh, I forgot to add….. they won’t be able to fire any of those that don’t measure up for fear of being sued and labeled discriminatory to those somehow “underrepresented”, and “disadvantaged”. Hasn’t the race card become a bit frayed by now? I guess not.
Oh Jessica Kimbrough….”affirmative action is essential to combat systemic racism entrenched in our country….”
What the “h” does systemic racism mean? Noone has ever said how the system works. As l continued to read your dribble, l said oh, shut up. I hope l don’t have to buy a dam pin to get on the airplane. (if l choose United) Since the 1970’s, this country has lowered it’s standards to ONLY accommodate certain people.
I’d boycott them, but I’ve already stopped doing business with them years ago due to their [redacted by admin] service. United doesn’t offer first class service at any price: they have cattle class and barely tolerable class. If you’re in cattle class, you run the risk of getting beaten up and hauled off the plane if they want your seat to cover for their bad planning and need to get one of their employees where you’re going, and let’s never forget that UNITED BREAKS GUITARS.
-jcr
Race obsessed elites… once again trying to control the population. Way to go CA, THANK YOU for stopping authoritarianism in our job markets. Minorities are not inferior and don’t need handouts to be competitive!