Amid Member Defections, U.S. Chamber and its President Face Protesters in San Francisco
Coalition of local business owners and organizations call on U.S. Chamber’s President Tom Donohue to stop protecting a small number of CEOs and start supporting businesses and consumers in California
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, November 19, 2009
CONTACT: Lauren Thorpe (Greenpeace), 415-255-9221 x339 | 845-729-5750
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Outside of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Regional Government Affairs convention in San Francisco yesterday, small business owners and organizations held a press conference and rally calling on U.S. Chamber President Tom Donohue to end his campaign against health care and clean energy reform. The large crowd gathered outside of the Fairmont Hotel called out Tom Donohue for pushing an agenda that favors corporate CEO profits at the expense of people and the planet. Tom Donohue’s Chamber of Commerce has met with protests at other recent regional conventions in Chicago and Philadelphia.
“Tom Donohue and the U.S. Chamber don’t represent me,” local businessman Danny Kennedy told the large group. Kennedy is the Co-Founder and President of Sungevity, Inc. in Berkeley, a local residential solar company not wanting to join the Chamber because of its outdated views on climate and energy. Mr. Kennedy’s comments echoed the sentiments of major companies that have quit the group over its opposition to climate action, including Apple, Exelon, and PG&E.
Standing with Mr. Kennedy was Jonathan Kevles, a Senior Representative with Sierra Club's Clean Energy Solutions Campaign and Lauren Thorpe of Greenpeace.
“Under Tom Donohue’s control the Chamber has spent millions of dollars lobbying against the family-supporting jobs that will be created by investing in clean energy. I am here today to call on the Chamber to start representing the workers in America’s innovative and entrepreneurial businesses instead of overpaid CEOs and the dirty coal interests of the past,” said Jonathan Kevles.
“The lobbying wing of Big Business has sunk to new lows: spending a record $300,000 a day lobbying to block efforts to address global warming and create clean energy jobs; health care reform and workers' rights; and attempts to reign in corporate greed on Wall Street,” said Lauren Thorpe.
San Franciscans were joined by members and leaders from the local chapters of Greenpeace, Change to Win, Move On, Sierra Club, Corporate Ethics International, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Center for Media Justice, Center for Biological Diversity, American Rights at Work, 1Sky, United Food and Commercial Workers, and the Communication Workers of America.
