To: Robert J. Hugin, Celgene CEO, Greg Chesmore, Senior Director, State Government Relations, Brian Gill, Senior Director, Public Relations / Investor Relations, and Name, Title or Position (optional)
Urge Celgene to Drop ALEC
Dear Robert J. Hugin,
As CEO of Celgene, you understand the importance of leadership. Celgene is a business leader in New Jersey and a leader in the pharmaceutical industry with the noble goal of “advancing the cause of human health.” This makes Celgene’s membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) so perplexing.
ALEC, the state policy membership organization, creates model bills using a process where corporate lobbyists and special interests vote as equals with legislators. Because ALEC policy is no good for New Jersey’s residents, we’re asking you to end your ALEC membership by the end of 2012. Be a leader in corporate citizenship, and take a stand with the people of the state that you call home!
ALEC also promotes bills and resolutions across the country that
• Would defund public healthcare services for those who need it most through model bills that come from the Health and Human Services Task Force, on which Celgene sits;
• Make it harder for students, minorities, and the poor to vote;
• Are similar to Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” laws;
• Advocate for the privatization of public services including schools;
• Oppose efforts to require pay equity or paycheck fairness between men and women;
• Deny climate change and urges states to withdraw from regional initiatives designed to address climate change; and
• Undermine workers’ standard of living by banning living wage ordinances and opposing increases in the minimum wage.
Already these New Jersey-based companies have renounced their ALEC membership this year: Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Express Scripts/Medco and Reckitt Benckiser Group. Take a lead and end your membership in ALEC by the end of 2013!
As CEO of Celgene, you understand the importance of leadership. Celgene is a business leader in New Jersey and a leader in the pharmaceutical industry with the noble goal of “advancing the cause of human health.” This makes Celgene’s membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) so perplexing.
ALEC, the state policy membership organization, creates model bills using a process where corporate lobbyists and special interests vote as equals with legislators. Because ALEC policy is no good for New Jersey’s residents, we’re asking you to end your ALEC membership by the end of 2012. Be a leader in corporate citizenship, and take a stand with the people of the state that you call home!
ALEC also promotes bills and resolutions across the country that
• Would defund public healthcare services for those who need it most through model bills that come from the Health and Human Services Task Force, on which Celgene sits;
• Make it harder for students, minorities, and the poor to vote;
• Are similar to Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” laws;
• Advocate for the privatization of public services including schools;
• Oppose efforts to require pay equity or paycheck fairness between men and women;
• Deny climate change and urges states to withdraw from regional initiatives designed to address climate change; and
• Undermine workers’ standard of living by banning living wage ordinances and opposing increases in the minimum wage.
Already these New Jersey-based companies have renounced their ALEC membership this year: Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Express Scripts/Medco and Reckitt Benckiser Group. Take a lead and end your membership in ALEC by the end of 2013!
Why is this important?
NJ-based pharmaceutical company, Celgene thinks its reason for being an ALEC member is "consistent with Celgene's vision, mission and values." ALEC promotes voter ID laws, "Stand Your Ground" laws like Florida's, anti-immigration laws like Arizona's SB 1070, laws to undermine collective bargaining and the minimum wage, bills that could privatize public education and resolutions that deny climate change. Sign this petition if you think Celgene should focus on improving the lives of patients, not funding ALEC’s extreme agenda!