9-14-06, 9:07 am
According to the Triangle Foundation, between 2002 and 2004, DeVos' family gave thousands of dollars to the American Family Association (AFA). That right-wing religious-based organization has criticized Ford for advertising in gay publications, publicly adopting a non-discrimination policy, and providing domestic partnership benefits to employees and corporate sponsorships to civil rights organizations which, among other things, advocate for marriage equality.
The boycott was launched in March 2006, and its organizers have claimed their efforts have adversely affected Ford sales. Few observers give AFA's claim much credibility, however. Sean Kosofsky, Director of Policy of the Triangle Foundation, suggested that AFA targeted Ford more for its ailing financial position than its stance on gay issues. According to Kosofsky, Ford isn't the most 'pro-gay' automaker.
AFA has a history of targeting corporations with pro-equality policies with boycotts and then falsely claiming those boycotts made a big impact. In fact, 'all they do is boycott corporations for not being right-wing enough,' Kosofsky said.
The likelihood of the AFA boycott to fall far short of its intended goals isn't the point, says Kosofsky. The issue is that DeVos through his family has supported the organization behind the boycott.
'Dick DeVos' sole message,' Kosofsky noted in a telephone interview, 'is jobs, jobs, jobs, but his family is supporting an organization that is trying to put a major Michigan manufacturer out of business.'
In a statement released last March, Pride at Work, AFL-CIO, the constituency group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender union members, said: 'With all of the Big Three Automakers currently facing record losses, the call for a boycott could not come at a worse time. Workers have already seen the negative consequences of this damage to the industry, and certainly do not deserve being put up against any extra hurdles.'
DeVos has placed his private religious and ideological views above the needs of Michigan working families. DeVos' devotion to promoting divisiveness with anti-gay sentiments is demonstrated by the fact that he has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to several organizations that share AFA's views.
'Dick DeVos has to distance himself from the boycott or condemn it,' Kosofsky added. Whether or not DeVos signed the checks to AFA himself, his failure to reject publicly the actions of that organization would be taken as an endorsement by Governor Granholm's opponents if the shoe were on the other foot, suggested Kosofsky.
Revelations about DeVos' support for the AFA and his refusal to condemn the boycott, is only the latest contradiction in the DeVos campaign on the jobs issue, however.
As CEO of Amway, DeVos ordered cutting almost 1,400 jobs in Michigan. Three years later his company announced a plan for a more than $200 million investment in its manufacturing operations overseas. DeVos has also donated thousands of dollars to lobbyists to convince Congress to support 'free' trade policies widely regarded as harmful to Michigan's manufacturing sector.
Additionally, DeVos has a record of ill will toward the auto industry. In 1993, his hometown newspaper, the Grand Rapids Press, quoted him as saying that the auto industry, 'should stop crying and do something about (their lack of market share). I'm not very sympathetic with the auto industry because some of their problems are self-inflicted.'
In response to the American Family Association boycott, Ford stated last March that it 'is proud of its tradition of treating all with respect and we remain focused on what we do best – building and selling the most innovative cars and trucks worldwide.'
--Joel Wendland can be reached at
