Another little thing in Washington State

A couple of weeks ago Microsoft failed to support an anti-discrimination measure in Washington State and caused the bill (which would protect gay and lesbian people from discrimination in work, housing, etc) to fail passage in the state legislature. But soon after Microsoft changed its decision because of all the pressure from employees and gay rights groups.
In Friday’s message, Ballmer seemed to suggest that input from employees had helped persuade Microsoft officials to renew their backing of the measure. More than 1,500 employees had signed an internal petition demanding the company support the bill, and scores had written in protest to Ballmer and Gates.
A Microsoft executive, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that after Microsoft’s turnaround on the bill was widely publicized and prompted an internal company uproar, a group of senior officials had met and decided to change the company’s position because of the pressure from employees.

Sweet! Activism at Microsoft!

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