ZitatEmployees of the Boston-based online housewares giant Wayfair announced Tuesday that they would stage a walkout at the company’s Back Bay offices Wednesday to protest the company’s decision to sell furniture to operators of facilities for migrant children detained at the southern US border.
According to a Wayfair employee who asked not to be identified for fear of retribution, Wayfair employees learned last Wednesday that a $200,000 order of bedroom furniture had been placed by BCFS, a government contractor that has been managing camps at the border.
“We were disheartened and concerned about Wayfair’s business’’ with BCFS, the employee said, and so employees decided to act. Within hours, a group of 50 employees began drafting a letter to the company’s executive leadership, with included cofounders Niraj Shah, Steve Conine, and the entire board, outlining their concerns. More than 547 employees signed the letter before it was handed off to the leadership team.