Progress Florida, Other Groups Call on Google to Drop Membership in American Legislative Exchange Council

Just weeks after Microsoft Corporation dropped its support for the controversial American Legislative Exchange Council, also known as ALEC, major organizations across the country have written a letter to Google executives asking for the corporation follow suit. Microsoft’s exit was likely due to ALEC’s extreme views that have become increasingly out of touch with Microsoft’s culture and corporate ideology.

Just weeks after Microsoft Corporation dropped its support for the controversial American Legislative Exchange Council, also known as ALEC, major organizations across the country have written a letter to Google executives asking for the corporation follow suit. Microsoft’s exit was likely due to ALEC’s extreme views that have become increasingly out of touch with Microsoft’s culture and corporate ideology.

During ALEC’s recent meetings held in Dallas, ALEC officers and corporate lobbyists held training seminars to teach legislators how to block legislation that encourages clean energy solutions. Just two weeks ago, ALEC wrote a letter to the Federal Communications Commission in support of the Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger in which they signal their opposition to net neutrality. Both Microsoft and Google have been global leaders on net neutrality and expanding clean energy.

“Over the past two years, hundreds of thousands of Americans have signed petitions in order to ask that you take this step because of the role ALEC has played in subverting our democratic process,” the letter states. “The public knows that the ALEC operation—which brings state legislators and corporate lobbyists behind closed doors to discuss proposed legislation and share lavish dinners—threatens our democracy. The public is asking Google to stop participating in this scheme.”

Over the past three years over 80 corporations and at least 400 state legislators have dropped their membership in ALEC due to its unpopular stances and increasingly tight relationship with right-wing dark money groups. ALEC has been called a “dating service” for politicians and corporate lobbyists and is known for pushing an extreme corporate agenda at the expense of the American people.

You can read a copy of the letter here.

The organizations who have signed the letter are:

American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
American Family Voices
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
Americans for Democratic Action (ADA)
Americans United for Change
Alliance for Retired Americans
Center for Effective Government
Center for Media and Democracy/ALECExposed
Christopher Reynolds Foundation
Citizens for Responsible Ethics in Washington (CREW)
Climate Parents
ColorofChange.org
Common Cause
Communication Workers of America (CWA)
Courage Campaign
CREDO Action
Democracy for America
Demos
Energy Action Coalition
Forecast the Facts
Free Press
Friends Fiduciary Corporation
Good Jobs First
Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, U.S.A.
In the Public Interest
International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT)
Jobs With Justice
League of Conservation Voters
Money Out Voters In (MOVI)
Montana Environmental Information Center​
MoveOn
New Energy Economy
Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investment
People For the American Way
Progress Now
Progress Florida
Progress Missouri
Province of St. Joseph of the Capuchin Order Milwaukee
Public Campaign
Public Citizen
RootsAction
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Sierra Club
Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Share Action
Social Security Works
Stand Up to ALEC
Sum Of Us
United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)
United Steelworkers (USW)
USAction
We Act Radio
Working America
Zevin Asset Management