Salesforce informed thousands of employees via Slack on Friday that it will relocate them if they are worried about their ability to access abortion care after Texas's aggressive anti-abortion laws.
Texas' Senate Bill 8 was passed in May. It went into effect this month. Doctors cannot perform or induce abortions if they "detected the fetal heartbeat of the unborn child." This exception applies only to medical emergencies. Ordinary citizens may also sue those who aid or facilitate abortions following the detection of a heartbeat.
The law was not blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court, and Texas was sued by the Justice Department on Thursday.
Salesforce sent employees a message that stated, "These are incredibly personal topics that directly affect many of us especially women." CNBC obtained the message. Salesforce did not adopt a position on the law. "We acknowledge and respect the fact that everyone has deeply held and differing perspectives. Salesforce stands with all our women everywhere, as a company.
Salesforce will assist you with relocation if you have concerns regarding access to reproductive health care in your state.
Marc Benioff, CEO, tweeted the following story after it was published: "Ohana, if you wish to move we'll assist you exit TX." You have the option. Ohana, a Hawaiian term meaning family, is your choice.
This move is coming as tech workers are looking for new opportunities and reassessing their lives due to the coronavirus pandemic that has isolated them from colleagues. Benioff stated in June that more than half of his company's employees will work remotely most or all the time.
The Texas abortion law has been largely ignored by the tech industry. Lyft and Uber announced that they would cover legal costs for drivers who transport women to have abortions. Bumble, an online dating site, said it also had a fund to assist people in Texas seeking abortions.
Salesforce has been known to get involved in political issues in the states it operates. Benioff stated in 2015 that Salesforce was being "forced" to reduce its investment in Indiana due to customers and employees' dissatisfaction with the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Critics feared that the law would permit businesses to refuse services to LGBTQ persons on religious grounds.
Benioff stated that the company would cancel programs that required employees and customers to travel to the state.
Salesforce is a strong presence in Indiana due to ExactTarget's home. ExactTarget was purchased by Salesforce for $2.5billion in 2013. The Associated Press reported that Salesforce announced an expansion in Indiana after law changes.
Salesforce lists Dallas as one of 16 U.S. offices, along with Indianapolis and San Francisco. According to LinkedIn profiles about 2,000 people are employed in Dallas. Over 56,000 people work for the company worldwide.
This report was contributed by CNBC's Christine Wang, and Kevin Breuninger.
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