LS&Co. Unzipped

Welcome to our blog. Here’s where you’ll find a “behind-the-seams” look at what’s going on with Levi Strauss & Co. You’ll hear from a variety of voices, from both inside and outside the company. And you have the chance to share your thoughts. So read on — and weigh in!

Mar 26 2013

We're Proud

Some are calling it one of the last great civil rights issues.

The U.S. Supreme Court today begins hearing arguments on two marriage equality cases, a landmark in a long battle for equal rights.

Levi Strauss & Co. is part of a broad coalition of marriage equality supporters urging the Supreme Court to recognize the fundamental right of all Americans to marry. We joined the “friend of the court” briefs for both the United States v. Windsor case on the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and the Hollingsworth v. Perry case on the constitutionality of Proposition 8 in the state of California

Both briefs advocated for the overturn of state and federal prohibitions on marriage equality because they would force employers to put lawfully married employees into two separate categories, which creates regulatory, tax, benefits, and employee morale problems. For us at Levi Strauss & Co., the legislation also proved inconsistent with our guiding values of empathy, integrity, courage and originality.

We’re strongly committed to our belief that treating all people equally and fairly is good for business. We believe that the success of a business in a global marketplace depends on the ability to recruit and retain the best employees in a global market for talent – regardless of their gender, race or sexual orientation.

It’s been a long road to get to where are today, and we’re proud of our long history in supporting equal rights.

Over the years, we’ve led pioneering efforts in the crucial fight for equality – from integrating our factories before the law required it, to granting domestic partnership health benefits more than 20 years ago, to being the only California business to file an amicus brief with the California Supreme Court supporting marriage equality in 2007.

We know that change doesn’t always happen quickly, but we’re committed to the fight for fairness and equality.

Posted By: Seth Jaffe, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Levi Strauss & Co.

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Tags: Levi Strauss & Co.,Social Responsibility

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