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Labor unions, faith organizations, and local businesses in Minnesota are calling for a statewide collective pause this Fridayin which they urge residents not to go to work, school, or do any shoppingin protest of the Trump administrations aggressive deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the Twin Cities and beyond. The action, called the Day of Truth and Freedom, is planned for January 23, and includes plans for a march in downtown Minneapolis at 2 p.m. Here’s what to know. What’s the situation with ICE in Minnesota? On January 6, the Department of Homeland Security announced it was deploying 2,000 officers to the Minneapolis area to conduct what it called the largest immigration operation ever. The next day, an ICE agent shot and killed Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good. Residents and officials, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, called for ICE to leave the state immediately. Since then, the crackdown has only continued. ICE agents are reportedly conducting door-to-door raids. They have shown up at local schools, prompting districts to switch to remote learning, and have dragged workers out of a Target store and broke into a home to force a man who was wearing just shorts and Crocs outside into the freezing temperatures. How have Minnesota residents responded? Minnesotans have been protesting this aggressive presence of ICE. Now, a collection of unions, faith groups, community organizations, and local businesses are calling on them to take collective action on Friday, January 23. Working people, our schools and our communities are under attack, Chelsie Glaubitz Gabiou, president of the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, said in a statement about her groups support of the Day of Truth and Freedom. Union members are being detained commuting to and from work, tearing apart families. Parents are being forced to stay home, students held out of school, fearing for their lives, all while the employer class remains silent, she continued. Our labor federations are encouraging everyone to participate on January 23rd. Its time for every single Minnesotan who loves this state and the notion of truth and freedom to raise their voices and deepen their solidarity for our neighbors and coworkers living under this federal occupation. Along with the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO and a slew of local businesses, labor groups including the Saint Paul Regional Labor Federation, the West Area Labor Council, the North East Area Labor Council and the East Central Labor Council are in support of the statewide action. A group of faith leaders and clergy members have also come out in support of the action, announcing that places of worship across the state will participate and demanding ICE leave Minnesota. Silence in the face of oppression is not neutrality. It is permission, one faith leader with the nonprofit Isaiah said in a recent press conference. That is why on January 23 we are standing with more than 100 organizations across Minnesota. What are the demands of the Minnesota anti-ICE economic blackout? Organizers of the economic blackout have created a list of demands from their action. They are calling for ICE to leave Minnesota; for the officer who killed Renee Good to be held legally accountable; for the upcoming Congressional budget to give no additional federal funding to ICE and for ICE to be investigated for human and Constitutional violations; and for Minnesota and national companies to cease their economic relations with ICE and refuse entry to ICE agents. A group of Minnesota businesses have announced that they will be closed January 23 for that anti-ICE action. That list includes local restaurants, bars, book stores, and more. Minneapolis is also home to a number of Fortune 500 companies who have been silent about the ICE raids in the state. When Fast Company reached out multiple times in the wake of Goods killing to General Mills, Target, Best Buy, Cargill, UnitedHealth Group, 3M, and Land OLakes for comment, none of them responded. Those companies that have Minnesota retail locations do not appear on lists of businesses that plan to close for the one-day strike. The Trump administration has not indicated so far that it will stop its immigration raids in Minnesota. After Minnesota leaders filed a lawsuit saying the crackdown was unconstitutional in an attempt to end it, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has asked a federal judge to reject that bid. The DOJ is also investigating a protest at a St. Paul church in which residents confronted a pastor who they say is the acting field director of the St. Paul ICE field office. And it has subpoenaed at least five Minnesota officials, including Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Frey, as part of an investigation into whether they have obstructed ICE efforts.
Category:
E-Commerce
Headlines have been challenging in 2025. Companies are under attack publicly and privately for policies viewed as too progressive or woke. The reality, however, is that most companies have strongly reaffirmed their sustainability commitments but less so their DEI commitments. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) works in the grey area between the two. Many affirming companies have opted for greenhushing, staying quiet about their strategies and leadership. There are pros and cons to that, but why are companies staying true to their goals and strategies? A simple but powerful answer: long-term value creation. Those staying the course have built strategies that incorporate and harvest business value from their commitments. Innovation in integrating CSR and sustainability has not been strong over the last 10 years. That is a missed value creation opportunity. Sustainability and CSR trends have not gone away for the long haul; they have just gone quiet. Competition across companies and sectors will continue to seek support from customers, shareholders, and stakeholders whether companies are communicating it or not. TRADITIONAL CORPORATE PHILANTHROPY There are two primary models today: traditional corporate philanthropy and strategic corporate social responsibility. Both are important to maintain, but given the climate companies are working in todaywith both shareholder pressure and government discontinuity in the policy environmenta value-creation model built on innovative win-win solutions could accelerate social progress aligned with business success. A great example of traditional corporate philanthropy is ExxonMobil. In public health, ExxonMobil made a long-term commitment to help eradicate malaria, making an impact through their collaborations and large philanthropic investments (exceeding $170 million over 25 years). This philanthropic, public health focus has largely been outward in its emphasis. While there are mentions of it starting from a concern that its African workforce had significant absences due to malaria, the efforts are not central to the oil and gas products companys overall business strategy. We applaud their long-term commitment and hope it continues for the benefit of millions of people. STRATEGIC CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY A timely example of strategic corporate social responsibility is Takeda Pharmaceuticals, a global R&D-driven biopharmaceutical company, headquartered in Japan. It has taken a different approach, innovating its commitments and implementation to drive company business success. Takeda has not approached CSR and sustainability as a program, but rather as a core strategy integrated strongly into all parts of the company: businesses, functions, and geographies. Takeda has a 240+-year company history, which is remarkable. Deeply embedded values at the heart of their longevity is PTRB,” which stands for patient, trust, reputation, and business. In that order, if they meet patients needs, they gain trust and reputation. Then the business will follow. This principled, values-based approach goes back to Takedas founder and is kept alive today, integrated in ongoing corporate and business strategy, including CSR. The key difference between a philanthropic contribution and the strategic CSR approach is how Takeda brought PTRB to life in its CSR and sustainability strategy: innovating the intersection between climate and health. For example, Takeda developed vaccines to prevent Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne health risk and unmet medical need that is becoming more challenging with climate change. They focus on public health challenges stemming from climate change as a core part of their CSR strategy. Takeda innovated the how of its CSR implementation through a unique grant-making program. The public RFP is developed annually to create win-win opportunities that align with Takedas corporate purpose, focusing on transforming health outcomes by investing in climateresilient health systems worldwide. Potential grantees make applications, which are first reviewed internally by Takeda employees. They look for proposals that are innovative, sustainable, and impactful for the grantee, the identified public health population, and Takeda. This is collaboration, not just check-writing. Then ALL Takeda employees can vote on which proposals to fund, typically for multiyear grants which extend the grantees impact across four to 10 years. This voting step has been critical in creating strong awareness within the company about Takedas sustainability and CSR focus, driving alignment and creating opportunities for each employee to align their personal purpose with where they want to make an impact. That is very rare. Awareness and employee alignment are critical to long-term company success. This is one area where Takeda has demonstrated innovation to drive results for the company and society. Takeda is not apologetic that their programs will create long-term business value. In fact, its leadership, from the board and executive team down to individual employees, makes this highly integrated approach work. This strategic CSR model is drawing attention. Side events at the 2025 United Nations General Assembly have been oversubscribed, garnering event replays and the attention of millions on social media. And recently Takeda received a distinguished award from the United Nations Association of Greater Boston (UNAGB). Takedas commitment to global health, advocacy for inclusive and sustainable innovation, and leadership in shaping the future of biopharmaceuticals make the organization a deeply deserving recipient of our Global Citizenship Award, wrote Caitlin Moore, UNAGBs executive director. VALUE CREATION IN A CSR STRATEGY It is truly amazing what can be achieved when the focus is large scale and long term (ExxonMobil), but also when it is innovative with full strategic integration into business and corporate value creation strategies (Takeda). In these times, we believe that the strategic approach should be replicated and practiced to benefit companies, society, and the planet. A companys value-creating CSR strategy will likely have the best chance to last and deliver value to shareholders and stakeholders. Barie Carmichael is senior counselor, Member International Advisory Council, at APCO Worldwide. Neil Hawkins is research advisor/graduate faculty at Harvard University Sustainability Masters Program.
Category:
E-Commerce
For as much as we heard about AI in the past year, the top two best places to work in the U.S. are decidedly AI-free. Crew Carwash, an Indianapolis-based chain of car washes with 55 locations in the Midwest, claimed the top spot on Glassdoors list of the best places to work in 2026. In-N-Out Burger, the beloved chain with 400-plus locations, also moved up one spot this year to rank as the second-best place to work in the U.S. From there, however, tech and AI companies dominated nearly one-quarter of Glassdoors ranking of the top 100 companies with Nvidia claiming the third spot. But this industrys representation on the list has actually come down somewhat in recent years, a reflection of shifting dynamics at some of these companies. “This is part of an ongoing trend where many tech employers are trimming some of the things that made the job so appealing over the last year,” Glassdoor chief economist Daniel Zhao told CBS News. “They are pushing harder and harder on efficiency and productivity.” In addition to Nvidia, ServiceNow and EPAM Systems rounded out the top three companies on an inaugural list of the best tech and AI companies. These companies are redefining what tech-first means and theyve scaled rapidly without losing a human element to the workplace, according to a blog post. UNCERTAINTY IN THE JOB MARKET The past year has seen some new career trends emerge that reflect the uncertainty many workers are feeling latelyincluding so-called job hugging, or employees who sit tight in their roles, and Shrekking, when some workers opt to take jobs that are beneath their qualifications. In 2025, U.S. employers added only 584,000 new jobs, down from two million in 2024, making it the worst year for job growth since 2020 when the COVID pandemic rocked the economy. Glassdoors annual ranking, now in its 18th year, honors those companies that its employees love working for based on feedback provided on the platform. It comes at a time when many employees are fed up with work, and overall U.S. employee engagement is at a decade low. “Even amid the uncertainty of 2025, these standout employers have shown resilience, sustaining high levels of employee satisfaction and trust as they navigate change,” Owen Humphries, president at Glassdoor, said in a statement. Bragging rights for those companies with 1,000 employees or more is based entirely on the anonymous reviews that employees posted on the site between October 2024 and October 2025, as theres no nomination process nor survey of employees. FOCUS ON WORKPLACE CULTURE While identifying those employers that are getting workplace culture right is inherent to the ranking, this years winners are maintaining high levels of trust and satisfaction among employees, even amid a shifting economic landscape, according to a blog post. Even though they span vastly different industries, the top three employersCrew, In-N-Out, and Nvidiashare a common theme: Theyve operationalized cultural values, according to Glassdoor. The best workplaces in 2026 aren’t doing anything revolutionary. They’re doing the fundamentals exceptionally welland doing them consistently, even when it’s hard. SHAKEUPS ON LIST Each year, some employers fall off the list to make room for new companies to make their debuta cohort that included Alaska Airlines and Dutch Bros. this year. There were some other notable shakeups in this years ranking. Bain, the top-ranked employer in 2025, fell to the No. 8 spot this year, marking the lowest-ever ranking for the perennial top-5-rated company. Other shakeups saw representation decline among San Francisco-area companies, with only 13 companies making this years list, down from 23 in 2025. Meanwhile, New York-area employers have been rising in employee satisfaction, gaining ground with 10 companies represented on the list, up from six last year. HIRING ACTIVITY In addition to charting such shifts in the industries and locations of the best employers, the annual list is intended to help job seekers navigate a competitive job market, according to Humphries. The number of weeks someone is unemployed has been creeping higher to more than 24 weeks, on average, as of December. Combined, this years top 10 employersCrew Carwash, In-N-Out, Nvidia, Ryan, Keller Williams, Mars, ServiceNow, Bain, Houston Methodist, and EPAM Systemscurrently have more than 11,000 job postings active on Glassdoor. These awards are intended to be a trusted guide for job seekers, Humphries said, by helping candidates connect with workplaces that reflect their values and career ambitions.
Category:
E-Commerce
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