Cummins

Meritor, Inc.
Indiana
Capital Goods

Corprate Bias Ratings

Risk Level:

Rating - Danger
High Risk

Cummins scored a 100 on the 2023 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group. By complying with Human Rights Campaign's controversial demands, Cummins increases the risk of dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. The company covers transgender-related medical costs for its employees and their children and provides specific sexual orientation and gender identity-based benefits. It also uses sex and gender ideology criteria in employee recruitment, vendor selection, marketing, and philanthropic support. Cummins forces employees to undergo multiple ideological trainings and uses its reputation, corporate funds, and political influence to support controversial sex and gender ideologies, organizations, and legislation. Cummins opposed the Indiana abortion law and pledged over $20 million to BLM and related causes. It is a signatory of the Business Roundtable's 2019 Statement on the Purpose of Corporation, which promotes stakeholder capitalism. The company spoke out against the North Carolina legislation, HB2, which required people to use the bathroom of their biological sex. Cummins signed an open letter in support of the Equality Act and lobbied for the Equality Act. For these reasons, Cummins receives a High Risk rating.

Criteria
Risk Level
Rationale
Corporate Weaponization
Criteria

Has denied service to customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level
Rationale

Cummins received a score of 100 on the 2023 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group. The company recruits employees based on sexual identity issues. The company discriminates against vendors that do not promote divisive sex and gender policies, indicating it prioritizes sexual issues over merit (1)(2). Cummins has a written policy pledging to vet vendors for LGBTQ policies. Its Supplier Code of Business Conduct requires vendors to include sexual orientation and gender identity in their nondiscrimination policy (3). However, the company has not publicly terminated business relationships due to religious beliefs or political views.

Criteria

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level
Rationale

Cummins’s HRC CEI rating indicates the company will not donate to non-religious charities unless they embrace controversial sexual identity policies (1)(2).

Criteria

Employment policies fail to protect against discrimination based on political affiliation/views and/or religion.

Risk Level
Rationale

Cummins’s HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company forces employees to attend multiple, controversial trainings on gender identity, sexual orientation, transgender issues, and divisive racial ideology. The company provides gender transition guidelines for its employees and a specific benefits guide with a comprehensive explanation of transgender services funded by the company (1)(2). Cummins does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (3).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy
Criteria

Uses corporate reputation to support ideological causes and/or organizations hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

Cummins HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company agrees to allow a controversial stakeholder group focused on sexual identity issues to dictate marketing or advertising strategy (1)(2). By doing so, the company risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. Cummins opposed Indiana’s abortion law and published an article in support of women’s reproductive healthcare (3). The company signed an open letter in support of the Equality Act (4). Cummins is a coalition partner for America Competes (5). Cummins spoke out against the North Carolina legislation, HB2, which required people to use the bathroom of their biological sex (6). Its CEO is a member of the Business Roundtable and Former CEO Tom Linebarger signed its 2019 Statement on the Purpose of Corporation, which promotes stakeholder capitalism over traditional obligations to shareholders and customers (7)(8).

Criteria

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

Cummins HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company covers transgender related costs for its employees and their children, including paid short-term leave, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, chest surgeries, genital surgeries, medical visits and lab monitoring, travel and lodging. Additionally, the company has pledged philanthropic support of at least one organization or event that promotes sex and gender ideology (1)(2). By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company increases health care costs and risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. Cummins pledged over $20 million to the Black Lives Matter movement and related causes, including a $250,000 donation to the Indianapolis Urban League (3)(4)(5). The company is a corporate partner of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) (6).

Criteria

Uses corporate political contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level
Rationale

Cummins HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company publicly advocated for controversial sex and gender ideology through local, state or federal legislation or initiatives (1)(2). By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. Cummins has not used its PAC donations for ideological purposes but has lobbied for the Equality PAC (3)(4)(5).

All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
March 27, 2024

Company reports are intended for educational use only. Full Disclaimer

Voting History

Date
ESG Category
Proponent
Summary of ResolutionMgmt RecTotal Vote % in Favor
5/9/23GovernanceJohn CheveddenRequire Two Seperate People Hold the Offices of Chairman and CEOAgainst43.30%
5/9/23EnvironmentalAs You Sow on behalf of Meyer Memorial Trust, PCR Children’s Tr FBO Ellen and The Woodcock FoundationLinking CEO Compensation to Climate PerformanceAgainst15.10%
5/10/22GovernanceN/A - UndisclosedIndependent Board ChairAgainst37.05%
Generate Reports
Clear
Toast

This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to collect information about how you interact with our website and allow us to remember you. We use this information in order to improve and customize your browsing experience and for analytics and metrics about our visitors both on this website and other media. To find out more about the cookies we use, see our Privacy Policy.

Accept