Goodyear has partially backed off a diversity-training session that drew accusations of a political double standard and calls by President Trump for a boycott of the iconic American company’s tires.
In a statement posted to Twitter on Thursday, Goodyear Chairman and CEO Rich Kramer said that apparel supporting law enforcement is acceptable and blamed an unnamed employee at the Topeka, Kansas, plant for the slide that became a national political topic earlier this week.
A message from Rich Kramer: By now, you are aware of a visual from our Topeka factory that has been circulating in the media. I want to personally clear the record on what you are seeing and hearing. pic.twitter.com/UqqFeFQn6t
— Goodyear (@goodyear) August 20, 2020
The diversity-training slide, first reported by Topeka TV station WIBW, listed under the headline “zero tolerance,” several groups it considered acceptable to support, including the Black Lives Matter movement and the LGBTQ community. Listed as unacceptable included “Blue Lives Matter,” “All Lives Matter,” “MAGA Attire,” and “Political Affiliated Slogans or Material.”
Mr. Kramer said Thursday evening that the slide “was not approved or distributed by Goodyear Corporate or anyone outside of that facility.”
He said Goodyear has clarified its policy to inform employees that they can “express support for law enforcement through apparel at Goodyear facilities.”
He also said that the company also “asks associates to refrain from workplace expressions in support of any candidate or political party.”
Mr. Kramer noted in his statement that the company, which saw its stock drop 6% Wednesday after Mr. Trump’s call for Americans not to buy Goodyear tires, does a considerable amount of business with law enforcement and other first-responders.
“Goodyear strongly supports our law enforcement partners and deeply appreciates all they do to put their lives on the line each and every day for our communities. We have proudly supplied tires to police and fire personnel for more than 100 years and that relationship is foundational to our company,” he said.
Mr. Trump had noted the double standard in calling “Black Lives Matter” acceptable speech but MAGA hats and “Blue Lives Matter” apparel unacceptable.
“When they say that you can’t have Blue Lives Matter, you can’t show a blue line, you can’t wear a MAGA hat, but you can have other things that are Marxist in nature, there’s something wrong with the top of Goodyear,” he said at the White House on Wednesday.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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