Houston Isn't Problematic & REI is Right About Unions
Here's the latest dispatch.
Good afternoon,
For you newbies out there, welcome to Outsider on the Inside. I hope this dispatch from in and around the nation’s capital on underreported topics finds you well.
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Quick Thoughts of the Week
It’s been another busy week at IWF. Read the latest at our Center for Energy and Conservation and subscribe to Clearing the Air.
This week I traveled to Houston, Texas, to deliver my last “Conservation is Conservative” talk for fall 2023. If interested in having me speak on your campus or next event on this subject, contact me.
Nearly 300,000 peaceful demonstrators, Republicans and Democrats alike, descended on Washington, D.C., for the March for Israel on Tuesday. The media, however, wanted to ignore this as much as possible.
Aurelia Skipwith Giacometto, former U.S.F Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Director under former President Trump, was announced as Governor-elect Jeff Landry’s (R-LA) first cabinet member: Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Director. Aurelia oversaw the largest expansion of hunting and fishing access on public lands, opening 2.3 million acres nationwide to new opportunities.
The Securities and Exchange Commission decided to reopen comments for its questionable proposed Natural Asset Companies rule after abruptly shutting down the comments after 21 days on October 25th. The new deadline is January 2nd, 2024. Utah Treasurer Marlo Oaks explains in WSJ why NACs are problematic.
My friend and singer, Madison Hughes, is going viral again for her cover of “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen and is profiled in Evie Magazine (s/o
for a stellar interview) this week.Townhall.com, a place where I’m a longtime political columnist, just launched an app. Check it out here.
And it’s a week before Thanksgiving. Know that I’m grateful to each and every one of you who reads this newsletter of mine!
REI is Right to Question Unions
There’s little progressive outdoor retailer REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.), and I agree politically, though we consider ourselves ardent conservationists.
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Their 2017 joint newspaper ad with Patagonia declaring “President Trump Stole Your Land” was devoid of reality and exaggerated 45’s public lands policies at the time. No acre of public lands was sold or “privatized” under Trump’s four years in office. But the ad wasn’t challenged much, and the companies went their merry way.
Former REI CEO Sally Jewell served as the 51st Secretary of the Interior from 2013 to 2017. She also had a stint as a Mobil oil engineer. While not as progressive as current Secretary Deb Haaland, an original Green New Deal backer, Jewell did initiate a moratorium on coal exploration on federal lands in 2016 and helped lay the foundation for the radical transformation of the Interior Department today.
I find myself agreeing with REI two-fold: their #OptOutside campaign and, more recently, their stance on unionization.
A new Bloomberg report claims REI believes unionization is terrible for company vibes. Eight of its 181 stores nationwide have voted to form unions and accused the retail cooperative of not subscribing to its mission of “shared values, not share value.”
This report comes at the heels of unionized REI employees, in concert with the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) and Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU), filing an Unfair Labor Practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The press release blames company changes for “mass layoffs, reduced hours, demotions, and other challenges for REI workers.”
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REI, however, sent a statement to the publication cautioning against unions meddling in their business operations, noting, “However, we do not view union representation as the best path to improving work situations for REI employees. We are committed to creating an employee experience that is so compelling that the need for a union is not necessary.”
REI’s fears over unionization campaigns are warranted and not isolated. Big Labor cheerleaders in government and the media have also maligned companies like Starbucks and Amazon - whose own employees aren’t too keen about unionization campaigns - as mean-spirited “union busters.” But the workers themselves have spoken loud and clear.
Houston, We Don’t Have a Problem
The final stop on my fall 2023 “Conservation is Conservative” campus speaking tour ended in Houston, Texas.
Before speaking, I decided on lunch at Kenny and Ziggy’s Deli in midtown. I watched the heartwarming documentary “Deli Man” (2015) over the weekend and noticed this featured deli was close to where I was staying. Mere coincidence? Serendipitous? Whatever the explanation, I had to be a patron.
Let me say: This place was arguably the busiest lunch spot I’ve ever been to. Even busier than The Ranch at Las Colinas in the DFW area.
I opted for the corn beef sandwich and schmaltz French fries, portions that were HUGE that I had to share with my friend, Gadai, who organized my talk at University of Houston.
After lunch, I freshened up and headed over to campus to prepare for my talk. I tabled with some of the student organizers and paid a visit to the pro-life group’s Friendsgiving event for some lite refreshments and snacks.
Here are some photos from my lecture.
The Houston skyline glistened very brightly that evening. I wished I could have stayed longer in H-town (Oil City). But it was nice to revisit the town for the first time since 2014.
I hope to come back again for a longer duration soon. Thanks, Texas!
Fellowship Opportunities for Winter 2024
For freedom-minded women, I encourage you to apply for IWF’s Visiting Fellowship. Applications are due December 1st, 2023.
And if you’re a young professional aged 18 to 35 and want to jumpstart your media career/improve upon your skills, apply for the Young Voices Contributor Program due November 30th, 2023.
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—Gabriella