GM Vows to Help Any Employee Affected by Trump’s Travel Ban
“Per our normal business practices, if any GM employee traveling back to the U.S. with a visa encounters difficulties, GM will provide the employee and his/her family with support,” the company said in an internal memo.
After President Donald Trump signed an executive order barring immigration to the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries on Friday, General Motors announced internally on Monday that it would help any employees affected by the new law.
Though the company did not take an official stance on the order, GM SVP of global human resources John Quattrone said "we value and respect individual differences. ... Empowering these unique perspectives keeps GM on the cutting edge of technological innovation in the fast-paced automotive industry," according to Business Insider.
"To date we are not aware of any GM employee directly impacted by the policy," a GM spokesperson told Business Insider.
As part of her duties as a member of Trump's Policy Forum, GM CEO Mary Barra and other council members will be meeting with Trump Friday to discuss manufacturing in America. The CEO has not yet released a statement on her stance on the immigration ban.
GM's full internal statement can be found below (via Business Insider).
Travel and Immigration Policy Update
As you are aware, issues of immigration and travel have been at the forefront of discussion since a new Executive Order was issued last Friday. Some of our colleagues operate here with a GM-sponsored work visa and a few are from the countries affected by the Executive Order.
Please know that, per our normal business practices, if any GM employee traveling back to the U.S. with a visa encounters difficulties, GM will provide the employee and his/her family with support.
At General Motors, we value and respect individual differences. We appreciate what each individual brings to the team, including background, education, gender, race, ethnicity, working and thinking styles, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, religious background, age, generation, disability, cultural expertise and technical skill. Empowering these unique perspectives keeps GM on the cutting edge of technological innovation in the fast-paced automotive industry.
We will continue to provide updates as needed if there are new developments.
On Monday, Ford CEO Mark Fields and Executive Chairman Bill Ford released a joint statement condemning the order. "Respect for all people is a core value of Ford Motor Company, and we are proud of the rich diversity of our company here at home and around the world," the statement reads. "That is why we do not support this policy or any other that goes against our values as a company."
