Two California companies to help their Texas employees relocate over new abortion law
Two California-based companies are offering to help their employees in Texas flee the state over new abortion restrictions in what one calls an “evacuation.”
Salesforce, a software company with an office in Dallas, and Bospar, a public relations firm with six workers in Texas, are both based in San Francisco.
The moves are in response to a new Texas law that bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before many women are aware they are pregnant, CBS News reported.
The law has no exceptions for rape or incest, NPR reported. It also allows private citizens to sue anyone who provides or assists with an abortion for up to $10,000.
The U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 to allow the law to go into effect while legal challenges wind their way through the courts.
Bospar says it will pay relocation expenses for any of its employees who want to relocate from Texas, and says it will extend the offer to employees in any other states passing such laws.
“As a company that wants to maintain and attract the best talent, Bospar believes this relocation program – or evacuation program – makes good business sense,” Curtis Sparrer, a Bospar principal, said in a statement.
“We predict other companies will take similar action to retain the best talent until Texas reverses this self-inflicted brain drain,” Sparrer said.
Bospar, which has 60 employees in all, was listed as one of America’s top public relation firms for 2021 by Forbes.
Salesforce made a similar offer in a Twitter post from CEO Marc Benioff on Friday.
“Ohana if you want to move we’ll help you exit TX,” Benioff wrote, using a Hawaiian term meaning “family.”
“These are incredibly personal issues that directly impact many of us — especially women,” a Salesforce memo to employees said, CNBC reported. “With that being said, if you have concerns about access to reproductive healthcare in your state, Salesforce will help relocate you and members of your immediate family.”
Uber and Lyft have announced they will cover the legal fees of drivers sued under the new law, USA Today reported.
This story was originally published September 14, 2021 at 3:35 PM with the headline "Two California companies to help their Texas employees relocate over new abortion law."