In no way can I justify this being a diary, but I feel that for all the good comments that have been said and diaries written I think that we have left one area unaddressed and I feel so strongly about this that I am going on a limb and write my first diary in a year. Please follow below the fold.
I am an attorney, though please do not read too much into that, this is something anyone who has been involved with a big business can understand. The CEO of Whole Foods who has written the incredibly tone deaf op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal (often called the Roschart test of the non religious righ wing) has a right to write his personal opinion in anything he wants, subject to all the usual laws i.e. hate speech et al.
But no CEO for a publicly traded company is actually the "head" of that company. The CEO serves under and at the pleasure of the Board of Directors. The CEO has a fiduciary duty (act in the companies best interest) to both the Board of Directores/Trustees (these names are somewhat interchangible depending on company to company) and ultimately to the shareholders of the company. But lets focus first on the Board of Directors. In most companies like Whole Foods, but certainly not all, the Board of Directors really have nothing to do with day to day operations and in fact, generally only meet a few times a year. Often, these people are asked to be on the Board of Directors because of their name and good reputation, more so than their actual business acumen. BUT, they do have the ultimate authority over the CEO.
Though I am in favor of boycotts, emails, and finding alternative sellers, I think that a good way, perhaps the "best" way to wake up Whole Foods Inc. to the problem, is communication with the Board of Directors/Trustees and directly question them whether the article in the Wall Street Journal was approved by them and does the op-ed reflect the values and beliefs of the board. I would think it very likely that the answer to both questions is NO.
Though our letters and comments will at least make the CEO think a little harder about voicing his views which alienate his typical cliental, letters, emails to the Board of Directors will really make a difference. If the Board has not given him permission, and especially if the Board disagrees with him, then the heat is REALLY turned up on the Company and changes can be made with a simple call for a urgent meeting.
I think that most of the emails to Whole Foods and any letters, should be addressed to the Board of Directors, even if the same CEO is head of the Board, because again, he has a duty to the Board members.
My lunch break is about up, so I do not have time to research who the Directors are, but the information is required to be made public and I will work on researching that later. If anyone can get the names and addresses to the board members directly I would greatly appreciate it.
Peace