YUM Brands - Says ICK! to ALEC

Owner of KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut Announces It Has Left the American Legislative Exchange Council

April 19, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Timothy K. Rusch

tim@fitzgibbonmedia.com

New York, NY - The following is a statement from ColorOfChange.org Executive Director Rashad Robinson:

"This week, ColorOfChange members have been calling executives at Yum! Brands to ask the company to end its membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Today, employees in Yum! Brands' corporate headquarters have told our members and ColorOfChange staff that the company has in fact dropped ALEC. In doing so, the operator of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell has restored our belief that it stands in favor of crafting legislation in view of the public, rather than behind closed doors.

"We sent CEO David Novak's office a letter last year expressing our concerns about ALEC's role in voter suppression, and in early February received a noncommittal response from James Fripp, the company's Senior Director of Global Diversity & Inclusion. That letter said that Yum! was not part of ALEC's Private Enterprise Board, but did not communicate that the company had severed ties completely with the conservative policy group.

Good sign – excellent sign.

Only about 290 more ALEC Corporate Profit Sector members to go.

Remember folks – all these companies saying they dropped out  ...  

Allegedly left ALEC

We have no proof that they actually did or proof that they are not still financing ALEC or will do so again in the future – when ALEC “model legislation” may once again be of benefit to them.

According to ALEC Exposed, Yum!

was a member of the Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development Task Force Task Force

and Yum!'s rep was private sector chair of the Labor and Business Regulation Subcommittee.

Think about it folks – why would YUM give that up – we’re talking LABOR regulations in an industry that pays peanuts and for the most part doesn’t supply benefits – some of the places don’t even give discounts on food to their employees.

But good news - for now!!!!!