Summary
Costco’s board rejected a shareholder proposal to end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, arguing they foster respect, innovation, and cultural alignment with customers and employees.
Shareholders claimed DEI could lead to lawsuits citing “illegal discrimination” against white, Asian, male, or straight employees, referencing legal cases like Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard.
Costco countered that its DEI efforts comply with the law and enhance its culture, rejecting claims of legal risk.
The proposal will be voted on at Costco’s January 23 shareholder meeting.
Your argument ignores the value of diversity within a business. A diverse workforce offers much more variety in how to progress the company. Peoples of similar traits and backgrounds tend to have similar ideas and methods. More diversity can increase problem solving, customer relations, and ingenuity by forcing all parties to see things from different perspectives.
The US has a long history of employers refusing to hire minorities/paying the “othered” less. We are not so far removed from these practices to reliably function without laws and regulations ensuring businesses not fall back to old habits. Slavery in the US ended around 150 years ago. The Jim Crow laws, officially, almost 60 years ago. Sundown towns were still around, though not as common, 45 years ago.