Salesforce has offered to help employees relocate if they are concerned about the new anti-abortion law, Senate Bill 8, that was enacted in Texas on Sep. 1 despite widespread criticism.
CNBC reported that the company’s offer was conveyed in a Slack message to employees on Sep. 10. “As a company, we stand with all of our women at Salesforce and everywhere,” it said. “With that being said, if you have concerns about access to reproductive healthcare in your state, Salesforce will help relocate you and members of your immediate family.”
Details about that assistance weren’t provided, but Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff did confirm the offer was legitimate in a tweet to the company’s “family” after CNBC published its report:
This offer to help Salesforce employees leave Texas was the latest sign of the tech industry’s discontent with Senate Bill 8. Lyft and Uber said they would cover the legal fees of drivers sued under the law, which allows private citizens to sue people who assist women seeking abortions, and other companies have set up funds for women who have to travel out-of-state to seek care.
The Washington Post reported that several companies have offered to cover those costs out of pocket, and in some cases, Senate Bill 8 has prompted them to reconsider their move to Texas. Lawmakers have also pushed back against the law, with the U.S. Department of Justice announcing on Sep. 9 that it filed a lawsuit to block the state from enforcing the new rules.
“The Act is clearly unconstitutional under longstanding Supreme Court precedent,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “The United States has the authority and responsibility to ensure that no state can deprive individuals of their constitutional rights through a legislative scheme specifically designed to prevent the vindication of those rights.”
