BREAKING: Booker, Harris, Sanders and Warren Sign Letter Urging the DNC to Hold Comcast/NBCUniversal Accountable for Toxic Culture As Candidates Prepare for Upcoming Debate on MSNBC
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, November 19, 2019
CONTACT: Madison Donzis | madison@unbendablemedia.com
BREAKING: Booker, Harris, Sanders and Warren Sign Letter Urging the DNC to Hold Comcast/NBCUniversal Accountable for Toxic Culture As Candidates Prepare for Upcoming Debate on MSNBC
2020 Presidential Candidates Join UltraViolet in Imploring the DNC to Make Clear They Support Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Ensure that NBC and Comcast Clean Up the Toxic Culture Inside Their Networks
WASHINGTON, DC — Ahead of the upcoming Democratic presidential primary debate airing on MSNBC this week, leading Presidential candidates Senator Cory Booker, Senator Kamala Harris, Senator Bernie Sanders, and Senator Elizabeth Warren have signed onto a new letter organized by UltraViolet, a leading national women’s organization, calling on Tom Perez and the DNC to take a clear stance in support of survivors.
The letter calls on the DNC and Tom Perez to demand that Comcast/NBCUniversal outline concrete steps to address the toxic culture that exists across their newsrooms and corporate culture.
The letter expains: “We, the undersigned candidates, are very concerned about the message it would send to sexual assault survivors if our next debate is sponsored by MSNBC without clear commitments from Comcast, the parent company of NBC and MSNBC, to conduct an independent investigation into the toxic culture that enabled abusers and silenced survivors.”
READ THE LETTER HERE: https://d2486uwqr5x79k.
“Current and former NBCUniversal employees have courageously put their livelihoods on the line to demand change and accountability. UltraViolet and our 1.2 million members have their backs, and we are proud to say that Senator Cory Booker, Senator Kamala Harris, Senator Bernie Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren have their backs too.” said Shaunna Thomas, Executive Director of UltraViolet.“Everyone on the side of survivors has a role to play in using their influence to push Comcast and NBC to do the right thing. The DNC has leverage as a critical media partner in the 2020 election and they owe it to survivors to use it.”
Last month, UltraViolet rallied outside of NBC’s headquarters in New York City to deliver more than 20,000 signatures. The group demanded that NBC:
- Fire NBC News President Noah Oppenheim, MSNBC executive Phil Griffin, and every person in leadership that enabled abusers, silenced survivors and failed to protect employees from abuse.
- Release all Comcast/NBCUniversal survivors from non-disclosure agreements in employment contracts and settlement agreements. Terminate the use of non-disclosure clauses in employment contracts and settlement agreements and end the use of clauses mandating arbitration to resolve claims involving pregnancy discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual assault, discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, race, or other protected statuses.
- Commission an independent, outside organization with expertise on sexual violence to conduct a comprehensive internal audit and release the findings of the results to the public and to shareholders.
- Implement structural disincentives to harassment and abuse.
- Provide sexual harassment, anti-sexism, and anti-harassment training at every level within your corporation and its subsidiaries.
- Ensure safety for survivors through anonymous reporting channels, protections against retaliation and ending the use of mechanisms to silence survivors.
UltraViolet also sent an open letter to Comcast CEO Brian Roberts calling on him to commit to proactively develop a safe, equitable work culture that truly addresses abuses of power and laid out the crucial steps that the organization should take to do so. Comcast has yet to respond.
VIEW THE LETTER HERE: http://bit.ly/
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