Update 03:37pm – Rep at See’s doesn’t know whether they’re “equal opportunity regardless of sexual orientation”
Posted by: Jordan on: July 7, 2009
*If you’re just joining, start at the bottom of this page and work your way up. Like all blogs, the posts are in reverse chronological order, with the most recent being at the top 
Had not yet heard back from Diane with a contact number, so I just called them back and asked for Diane. Was transferred to her. She told me Jessica was the one I spoke with originally, but she (Diane) was the one who sent me the e-mail.
I said I wanted to ask a question to get some clarification, and asked if she could help with that. She said to go ahead and she would see. I read her the statement from See’s Careers page, as follows:
See’s Candies is dedicated to providing a positive work environment where each individual is challenged to achieve their best. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we welcome applications from qualified candidates without regard to race, gender, ethnicity, disability, or religious preference.
(thanks Seth!). I requested that she clarify what their commitment is to ensuring equal opportunity without regard for sexual orientation, when they’re offering Domestic Partner Benefits. She told me that she didn’t have an answer, and would have to pass this on. She said Jessica had opened a comment file for me, and that those comments are read by people in upper management. She said they had my contact information and would contact me if anything came up.
I told her that this story was getting a lot of traction on Twitter, and other social media sites. I said that I’m trying to to ascertain exactly what’s going on, so that the company isn’t hung out to dry without undue cause. She said they appreciated that, but had no further information for me. I reiterated that it’s in their best interest to find a way to respond to this quickly, as it will spread very fast.
Feel free to open up your own comment file, by calling 800-895-7337, and pushing option #3. When a rep comes on the line, advise that you want See’s to clarify their commitment to Equal Opportunity regardless of sexual orientation.
I will continue to update if I hear anything else. Twitter is also abuzz with this.
UPDATE, 04:19pm: Received the following e-mail:
Hello,
I appreciated talking with you and receiving the additional information about the careers section of our web site. I will forward your comments on to upper management for their review. If I may be of further assistance, please let me know.
Again, thank you for your interest in See’s Candies.
Diane Ihrig
See’s Candies
Consumer Affairs Department
July 7, 2009 at 10:56 pm
I’m posting this in the comments as I want the actual posts simply to reflect the facts that I’ve found:
Please, don’t crucify this business until we get a real statement of their stance on non-discrimination. Just because a company doesn’t clearly state their commitment doesn’t mean they don’t have one. It just means no one has ever “called” them on it before and told them it was necessary. See’s may be just like any other of a million companies in the US that support their LGBT employees but aren’t part of “our cause” as public advocates, and that’s ok. Not everyone has to be on the streets marching with us to support us. Just providing DPB is more than many companies do. And just providing health insurance at all is more than a lot of companies do
Also, until they publicly come out “against” a full statement on equal opportunity, please don’t use the “B” boycott word. If we threaten a boycott every time someone doesn’t wrap themselves in a pride flag, it will lose any threat with businesses. Let’s keep collecting information, politely holding their feet to the fire, and see where we get. If there’s still no public response and no appropriate action is taken, THEN we start talking about more fervent action.