Wayfair walkout: Employees stage protest over company selling goods to detention camps

Jorge L. Ortiz
Updated

Employees of online furniture retailer Wayfair are planning to walk out of their jobs Wednesday to protest the company’s refusal to stop selling beds and other home goods to be used in camps for detained migrants.

The walkout is the latest fallout from the growing tensions at the U.S. southern border, where a large surge of immigrants from Central America seeking asylum has resulted in a crisis, with six children dying in detention since September.

In a Twitter post with the hashtag #WayfairWalkout, the protesters say CEO Niraj Shah rejected a request by more than 500 employees who signed a petition asking the Boston-based company to desist from doing business with border camps.

In response, employees said they’re taking to the streets Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. ET at Copley Square, where Wayfair has its headquarters.

“The United States government and its contractors are responsible for the detention and mistreatment of hundreds of thousands of migrants seeking asylum in our country – we want that to end,’’ the employees wrote in their petition. “We also want to be sure that Wayfair has no part in enabling, supporting, or profiting from this practice.’’

FILE - In this June 26, 2018, file photo, children stand and hold protest signs during a rally in front of Federal Courthouse in Los Angeles. A panel of appeals court judges in California will hear arguments in the long-running battle between advocates for immigrant children and the U.S. government over conditions in detention and holding facilities near the southwest border. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

Organizers are also asking Wayfair to donate all profits from such sales to the nonprofit organization RAICES, which provides legal services to immigrants.

The walkout threat has drawn the attention of national politicians, including Massachusetts Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, who tweeted:

“I stand with the hundreds of @Wayfair employees who are planning to stage a walkout at their Boston headquarters tomorrow. The safety and well-being of immigrant children is always worth fighting for.’’

Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also expressed her support, tweeting, “This is what solidarity looks like – a reminder that everyday people have real power, as long as we’re brave enough to use it.’’

More: Migrant children removed from 'inhumane conditions' at overcrowded Texas detention facility

Related: ICE hard-liner to replace outgoing CBP commissioner as immigration tensions escalate

According to the petition, Wayfair sold more than $200,000 worth of bedroom furniture to a nonprofit government contractor that manages migrant camps at the border, with the beds being intended for a facility in Texas that could house up to 3,000 migrant children.

The petition quotes a United Nations statement that says detaining children is always a violation of their rights.

Scrutiny over deplorable conditions at border detention camps has heightened since a group of lawyers reported a lack of food, water, soap and medical care inside a Border Patrol facility in Clint, Texas, where older children had to look after toddlers and several kids had the flu.

“We’re walking out in protest of our leadership’s decision to sell to reprehensible concentration camps,’’ a Wayfair employee told the Washington Post. “We had hoped that raising awareness would be enough for them to do the right thing, but it wasn’t. We want to make it clear that this is not a political issue — it’s a humanitarian issue, and we will not back down.”

In response to the request by the employees who signed the petition, the Wayfair leadership wrote a letter Monday commending their commitment to making a difference but also pointing out not everyone shares their perspective.

“As a retailer, it is standard practice to fulfill orders for all customers and we believe it is our business to sell to any customer who is acting within the laws of the countries within which we operate,’’ the letter said. “We believe all of our stakeholders, employees, customers, investors and suppliers included, are best served by our commitment to fulfill all orders. This does not indicate support for the opinions or actions of the group or individuals who purchase from us.’’

Wayfair did not respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Wayfair walkout: Employees stage protest over company selling goods to detention camps