Addressing some of the most pressing issues of our time
More than 168 years of business has helped us build a platform to drive for meaningful social change and environmental action. When we advocate for public policies at the federal, state and local level, we do so by outlining the business, and sometimes moral, case for government policy action. Over the years we have taken stands on issues such as gun violence prevention, equitable access to the polls, the rights of LGBTQ+ people, and many other issues that are important to our business, our customers and the communities we serve. The Levi Strauss Foundation and the company underpin these efforts with grantmaking support to organizations working for lasting changes on these and other important issues.
Throughout our long history, we have also made changes to our own operations, from integrating our factories in the southern U.S. before it became law, to extending health benefits to unmarried domestic partners — the first Fortune 500 company to do so. We will continue advocating for social change and encouraging others to do the same wherever we see opportunities to contribute to a more just, safe and inclusive society. We have no political action committee and we do not make political donations to candidates or causes.
Our advocacy seeks to advance voting rights, gun violence prevention, paid family leave, LGBTQ+ equality, as well as to make the business case for robust, science-based climate policy.
Voting Rights and Engagement
LS&Co. has a long history of supporting the issues that define our times — and our employees are often at the forefront of these movements, taking a stand on the issues they care about. In a time when voting rights are under attack and voter turnout is low, we believe that the fundamental tool for employees to engage civically and promote issues they care about is their vote.
Every year we make sure our U.S. employees have access to the information and tools they need to vote in their local elections. As we all dealt with the uncertainty and risks of COVID-19 in 2020, it was especially critical to provide safe, accessible and secure voting to all eligible voters and to inform employees about the changes on election dates, vote by mail specifics and evolving rules in their locations.
Getting Out the Vote
In 2020, we teamed with Rock the Vote, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, to help potential voters check their registration status, register to vote and sign up for election day reminders. We reminded employees of their five paid volunteer hours per month, which they can use to volunteer with campaigns, voter engagement efforts, or community registration drives, and to train as poll workers for election day. In 2020, we had 75 vote captains across the U.S. who led voter engagement efforts in their retail, distribution center and corporate offices, and nearly 200 employees trained to be poll workers. Through our partnership with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), employees had opportunities to phonebank, canvass and educate voters on pro-voter ballot initiatives like early voting and same-day voter registration.
Time to Vote
Time to Vote is a business-led, nonpartisan coalition created to encourage voter participation by ensuring employees have the time and resources they need to cast their ballot. The program is not specific to any party, candidate or issue. It’s about encouraging people to vote without having to make a choice between going to work and going to the polls.
What began as a 2018 effort by three California-based companies — LS&Co., Patagonia and PayPal — has become a national movement that spans industries and geographies and includes some of the largest employers in the U.S. By mid-2021, almost 2,000 companies with employees in all 50 states had joined Time to Vote. Together, Time to Vote companies can make it easier for nearly 10 million U.S.-based employees to vote.
We’re proud of the traction Time to Vote has received to date, but this effort is far from over. Time to Vote aims to help bring about a true cultural shift, where America’s business leaders maintain a working environment where their employees are encouraged to make the time to vote in every election.
Read more about Time to Vote.
Time to Vote
Time to Vote is a business-led, nonpartisan coalition created to encourage voter participation by ensuring employees have the time and resources they need to cast their ballot. The program is not specific to any party, candidate or issue. It’s about encouraging people to vote without having to make a choice between going to work and going to the polls.
What began as a 2018 effort by three California-based companies — LS&Co., Patagonia and PayPal — has become a national movement that spans industries and geographies and includes some of the largest employers in the U.S. By mid-2021, almost 2,000 companies with employees in all 50 states had joined Time to Vote. Together, Time to Vote companies can make it easier for nearly 10 million U.S.-based employees to vote.
We’re proud of the traction Time to Vote has received to date, but this effort is far from over. Time to Vote aims to help bring about a true cultural shift, where America’s business leaders maintain a working environment where their employees are encouraged to make the time to vote in every election.
Read more about Time to Vote.
#VoteAboutIt
In 2020, the Levi’s® brand #VoteAboutIt outreach campaign aimed to encourage consumers to build on posting and thinking about the issues they care about, to actually taking action and “voting about it.” The campaign also connected consumers with Rock the Vote to check their registration status, register to vote and get their voting questions answered. To amplify the impact, the Levi’s® brand partnered with influencer Hailey Bieber and filmmaker Oge Egbuonu to create a powerful public service announcement (PSA) calling on all eligible voters to know their voting status, know their voting rights, register to vote and get to the polls on election day.
Gun Violence Prevention
In 2020, the U.S. experienced the highest rates of gun violence in decades, claiming the lives of more than 41,000 people in a worsening gun violence epidemic that disproportionately affects Black and Brown communities. LS&Co. has pledged ongoing support for gun violence prevention by rallying the business community on the issue, advocating for gun safety measures and providing philanthropic support to organizations on the frontlines of the epidemic.
In 2018, we established the Safer Tomorrow Fund to support nonprofits working to address gun violence in the U.S. In 2020, the Safer Tomorrow Fund supported five organizations that work closely with communities of color disproportionately affected by gun violence, providing direct support to community violence intervention programs and youth advocates working to make communities safer.
Our advocacy work also includes reaching out to elected officials to pass common-sense gun safety legislation. For instance, in 2019 Chip Bergh joined with other CEOs to send a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives supporting the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, which went on to pass the House. LS&Co. also led a CEO letter to the U.S. Senate calling for passage of background checks and red flag laws following several tragic mass shootings. In early 2021, LS&Co. joined Giffords’ Impact Network as a founding member, lending our support for increased and coordinated corporate engagement to prevent gun violence and pass meaningful gun safety legislation.
LGBTQ+ Equality
LS&Co. has long been, and will continue to be, a vocal supporter of equality and non-discrimination. We were the first Fortune 500 company to extend health benefits to domestic partners and have continued to use our voice to advocate for an equitable society for all. We were the only California business in 2007 to file an amicus brief with the California Supreme Court in support of same-sex marriage, and we have proudly supported the Equality Act since the bill’s introduction in 2015.
In recognition of our many ongoing efforts in support of full equality, we have received a perfect score of 100 points on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Corporate Equality Index for 17 years. We have awarded grants to fund the HRC Foundation Youth Ambassador Program, which tackles multiple issues around sexual orientation, gender identity, race, immigration and discrimination.
Paid Family Leave
We believe that no one should have to choose between a paycheck and taking care of themselves or their family in moments of need. We continue to improve benefits for our employees and advocate for national paid leave for America’s workers. In early 2020, we implemented a new paid family leave benefit that provides U.S. corporate and retail benefits-eligible employees with up to eight weeks of paid time off per year to care for an immediate family member with a serious health condition.
LS&Co. has been a leading business advocate for national paid leave since 2018. National paid leave would make it possible for working people to take paid time off to take care of themselves and their loved ones under job protection guarantees, no matter in what state they live or for whom they work. Our CEO Chip Bergh and Chief Human Resources Officer Tracy Layney have been advocating for national paid leave legislation as part of building back better following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Advocating for Dreamers
More than 168 years ago, an immigrant named Levi Strauss came to America and founded our company. He was pursuing his version of the American dream, just like Dreamers — undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children — are pursuing theirs. We have been advocating for a permanent legislative solution for Dreamers since 2017, when more than 600,000 young people were put in legal uncertainty about their status. Dreamers are members of our workforce, they are our consumers, and they are members of the communities where we live and work, and they deserve their shot at the American dream.
Climate Advocacy
Climate change is the issue of our time. We embrace responsible environmental practices across the company — including limiting emissions and climate change contributions — and collaborate with others who share our commitment to limiting temperature rise to no more than 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels. LS&Co. has been advocating for meaningful policy to mitigate climate change for over a decade. Read more about our climate advocacy in the Climate Action section.
What’s Next – Using Our Voice
We will continue acting on the levers of change for which LS&Co. is well-known. Our efforts to protect voting rights and enable voter participation will continue as long as necessary to make sure all voters can vote freely, without facing challenges to their rights.
LS&Co. also remains committed to supporting organizations addressing gun violence. We will closely monitor the public policy landscape and consider opportunities for advocacy to promote gun safety. This includes continuing to fund organizations aligned with the Safer Tomorrow Fund’s objectives — youth leadership, community building and storytelling — making sure we strengthen broad interest in and coverage of the everyday gun violence happening in communities across the U.S.
In 2021 and beyond, we will continue to make the business case for sound, comprehensive federal climate policy in the U.S. This includes partnering with the Ceres Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP) network and America is All In (formerly We Are Still In) coalition to advocate for infrastructure legislation that prioritizes investments in clean energy and modernizing electrical, water and transportation infrastructure.
