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NEW YORK -- Walmart's sweeping rollback of its diversity policies is the strongest indication yet of a profound shift taking hold at U.S. companies that are re-evaluating the legal and political risks associated with bold programs to bolster historically underrepresented groups. The changes announced by the world's biggest retailer on Monday followed a string of legal victories by conservative groups that have filed an onslaught of lawsuits challenging corporate and federal programs aimed at elevating minority and women-owned businesses and employees. The retreat from such programs crystalized with the election of former President Donald Trump, whose administration is certain to make dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs a priority. Trump's incoming deputy chief of policy will be his former adviser Stephen Miller , who leads a group called America First Legal that has aggressively challenged corporate DEI policies. “There has been a lot of reassessment of risk looking at programs that could be deemed to constitute reverse discrimination,” said Allan Schweyer, principal researcher at the Human Capital Center at the Conference Board. “This is another domino to fall and it is a rather large domino,” he added. Among other changes, Walmart said it will no longer give priority treatment to suppliers owned by women or minorities. The company also will not renew a five-year commitment for a racial equity center set up in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd. And it pulled out of a prominent gay rights index . Schweyer said the biggest trigger for companies making such changes is simply a reassessment of their legal risk exposure, which began after U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2023 that ended affirmative action in college admissions. Since then, conservative groups using similar arguments have secured court victories against various diversity programs, especially those that steer contracts to minority or women-owned businesses. Most recently, the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty won a victory in a case against the U.S. Department of Transportation over its use of a program that gives priority to minority-owned businesses when it awards contracts. Companies are seeing a big legal risk in continuing with DEI efforts, said Dan Lennington, a deputy counsel at the institute. His organization says it has identified more than 60 programs in the federal government that it considers discriminatory, he said. “We have a legal landscape within the entire federal government, all three branches -- the U.S. Supreme Court, the Congress and the President -- are all now firmly pointed in the direction towards equality of individuals and individualized treatment of all Americans, instead of diversity, equity and inclusion treating people as members of racial groups,” Lennington said. The Trump administration is also likely to take direct aim at DEI initiatives through executive orders and other policies that affect private companies, especially federal contractors. “The impact of the election on DEI policies is huge. It can’t be overstated,” said Jason Schwartz, co-chair of the Labor & Employment Practice Group at law firm Gibson Dunn. With Miller returning to the White House, rolling back DEI initiatives is likely to be a priority, Schwartz said. “Companies are trying to strike the right balance to make clear they’ve got an inclusive workplace where everyone is welcome, and they want to get the best talent, while at the same time trying not to alienate various parts of their employees and customer base who might feel one way or the other. It’s a virtually impossible dilemma,” Schwartz said. A recent survey by Pew Research Center showed that workers are divided on the merits of DEI policies. While still broadly popular, the share of workers who said focusing on workplace diversity was mostly a good thing fell to 52% in the October survey, compared to 56% in a similar survey in February 2023. Rachel Minkin, a research associate at Pew, called it a small but significant shift in short amount of time. There will be more companies pulling back from their DEI policies, but it likely won’t be a retreat across the board, said David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at New York University. “There are vastly more companies that are sticking with DEI," Glasgow said. "The only reason you don’t hear about it is most of them are doing it by stealth. They’re putting their heads down and doing DEI work and hoping not to attract attention.” Glasgow advises organizations to stick to their own core values, because attitudes toward the topic can change quickly in the span of four years. “It’s going to leave them looking a little bit weak if there’s a kind of flip-flopping, depending on whichever direction the political winds are blowing,” he said. One reason DEI programs exist is because without those programs, companies may be vulnerable to lawsuits for traditional discrimination. “Really think carefully about the risks in all directions on this topic,” Glasgow said. Walmart confirmed will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test to improve diversity when it offers supplier contracts. Walmart says its U.S. businesses sourced more than $13 billion in goods and services from diverse suppliers in fiscal year 2024, including businesses owned by minorities, women and veterans. It was unclear how its relationships with such business would change going forward. Organizations that have partnered with Walmart on its diversity initiatives offered a cautious response. The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, a non-profit that last year named Walmart one of America's top corporation for women-owned enterprises, said it was still evaluating the impact of Walmart's announcement. Pamela Prince-Eason, the president and CEO of the organization, said she hoped Walmart's need to cater to its diverse customer base will continue to drive contracts to women-owned suppliers even if the company has no explicit dollar goals. “I suspect Walmart will continue to have one of the most inclusive supply chains in the World,” Prince-Eason wrote. “Any retailer's ability to serve the communities they operate in will continue to value understanding their customers, (many of which are women), in order to better provide products and services desired and no one understands customers better than Walmart." Walmart's announcement came after the company spoke directly with conservative political commentator and activist Robby Starbuck, who has been going after corporate DEI policies, calling out individual companies on the social media platform X. Several of those companies have subsequently announced that they are pulling back their initiatives, including Ford , Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s and Tractor Supply . Walmart confirmed to The Associated Press that it will better monitor its third-party marketplace items to make sure they don’t feature sexual and transgender products aimed at minors. The company also will stop participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual benchmark index that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees. A Walmart spokesperson added that some of the changes were already in progress and not as a result of conversations that it had with Starbuck. RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, senior director of the HRC Foundation’s Workplace Equality Program, said companies that “abandon” their commitments workplace inclusion policies “are shirking their responsibility to their employees, consumers, and shareholders.” She said the buying power of LGBTQ customers is powerful and noted that the index will have record participation of more than 1,400 companies in 2025.Man City stumble again while Arsenal and Bayern Munich earn dominant winsWaterford club delegates were informed at Thursday night's annual convention in Dungarvan that the county board is not currently subject to an audit from Revenue. Jennifer Power from auditors Fitzgerald Power responded to a query from Ballinameela representative Conor Mulhall. "I don't know of any problematic areas at present and all we can do is take it from there. At this stage, that's all I can say on the matter." In a meeting with officers from across the country on Tuesday, the GAA confirmed that Galway, Mayo and Wexford are subject to open risk reviews. Déise treasurer Kieran Geary attended that meeting. "It's at an early stage. Three counties are being reviewed. Croke Park are going to be acting on behalf of every county board and that is where we're at. We will receive further information from Croke Park in early January after they meet with Revenue once again." Neil Moore (Abbeyside/Ballinacourty) succeeded Sean Michael O'Regan as county board chairman. O'Regan has completed his five-year term and will now lead the National Infrastructure Committee. He will also put his name forward for Munster vice-chairman. Moore served as Waterford vice-chairman for the past five years. He also chaired the Western Board. Brendan Tobin (Sliabh gCua/St Mary's) was elected as the new vice-chairman. Pat Grant (Fourmilewater) will represent Waterford on Central Council. He defeated Tom Cunningham (Stradbally) by 79 votes to 55. The board recorded a deficit of €164,743 in their 2024 accounts. The Déise made a surplus of €371,053 in 2023. Fundraising income dipped by almost €675,000 from €842,154 to €167,786. The Win A House In Dungarvan draw brought in €777,991 the previous year. Outgoing chairman Sean Michael O'Regan was asked if the county will be in dire straits financially early in the New Year. "I wouldn't say we're in dire straits. We have plans in place. You would hope that in May, with a successful House Draw, we would be in a good place. It's a big swing but there's lots of positives in the accounts." The Déise spent almost €1.3 million on county teams (€1,288,894). The senior hurlers came in at €506,119. The senior footballers cost €274,624 to prepare. €113,177 was the outlay on the Waterford minor hurlers over the last twelve months while the U20s totalled €100,615. €72,315 was spent on the minor football team and €42,610 on the U20s. Development squads totalled €179,434. The new Déise Draw yielded €106,787 in 2024 but the new Waterford supporters club only raised €10,332. Gate receipts at club games increased by €57,320. The senior hurling championship returned €163,706 including €41,573 from the county final between Ballygunner and Abbeyside. Finance is a priority for new chairman Neil Moore. "Providing financial stability is of upmost importance," he admitted in his opening address to delegates. "We can achieve that. I implore all clubs to support the House Draw." Underage is another main focus. "We do need to address our coaching and games structures and our games programme from minor down. That would be my target to improve the quality of our players." In his last address as chairman, O'Regan remarked that abuse of referees must be addressed. "That needs to be cut out. The onus is on you to stop that." He called on clubs to bring through new referees with the age profile of the current panel on the rise. "We all need to have a serious look." He wished Neil Moore all the best for the next five years. "Hopefully, we'll win an All Ireland on his watch. Hopefully, we'll open Walsh Park on his watch."
LIPHOOK, United Kingdom, Dec. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — , a global leader in technology-driven meeting solutions across Annual General Meetings, Investor Relations, and Member meetings, proudly announces the acquisition of Assembly Voting, a technology company specializing in end-to-end verifiable, cloud-based elections and voting solutions via its proprietary platform, Electa. This strategic acquisition reinforces Lumi Global’s commitment to innovation while expanding its capabilities beyond the live meeting environment to new market opportunities. “This acquisition marks a bold step forward for Lumi Global, as we extend our product capabilities beyond the meeting day and into the wider elections market,” said Richard Taylor, CEO of Lumi Global. “The integration of Assembly Voting’s innovative technologies with Lumi’s Global platform will unlock new opportunities, ensuring we remain at the forefront of technology-driven meeting, election and voting solutions in Annual General Meetings, Investor Relations, and Member organization worldwide.” “We are thrilled to join Lumi Global, a company whose vision and innovative approach align perfectly with ours,” said Jacob Gyldenkaerne, CEO of Assembly Voting. “This partnership not only expands the reach of our technology but also enhances our ability to serve an even more diverse, global client base with end-to-end verifiable election solutions.” Lumi Global’s acquisition of Assembly Voting underscores its dedication to powering the meetings and elections that matter for trusted decisions worldwide. As live meetings and general assemblies transition to increasingly digital formats, elections have similarly evolved from traditional paper ballots to more secure and reliable digital platforms. This digital transformation creates the opportunity for a unified platform that seamlessly serves both needs. Lumi Global’s clients are increasingly seeking a comprehensive solution that delivers this integration. Lumi Global powers the meetings and elections that matter for the world’s most trusted decisions, ensuring seamless, engaging experiences for in-room and online participants. Lumi Global’s cutting-edge technology and unique global presence empower informed decision-making across annual meetings, elections, member meetings, legislative meetings, IR meetings, and earnings calls. For over 30 years, Lumi has driven industry innovation, co-creating solutions with customers to simplify the complex and deliver stress-free, flawless meetings that foster accountability and meaningful engagement. For more information, please contact: Chief Business Strategy Officer A video accompanying this announcement is available atWalker's 20 help IU Indianapolis knock off Trinity Christian 106-49
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