Edward Bastian, chief govt officer of Delta Air Lines Inc., speaks throughout an interview in New York, U.S., on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019.
Christopher Goodney | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian on Wednesday blasted a controversial GOP-backed Georgia voting law after backlash on social media.
The invoice, signed by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp final week, is about to require identification for absentee voting, restrict poll drop packing containers and prohibit providing meals or water to voters in line. President Joe Biden called the bill “Jim Crow in the 21st century.”
Bastian’s feedback come as a bunch of different executives slammed the new law and several other Black CEOs urged chief executives to oppose efforts to limit voting entry.
“As the voting legislation that was put forward in Georgia, when we looked at it, we felt based on our knowledge of the political climate here, there was no chance that that bill was going to be eliminated altogether,” Bastian informed employees Tuesday in a video message, which was reviewed by CNBC.
He stated Delta, which relies in Atlanta, labored to push legislators to make adjustments to enhance the invoice.
“I know many of you are disappointed, frustrated and angry that we did not take a stronger public stand against specific measures in the bill,” Bastian stated. Unfortunately, the truth is that will have made it a lot tougher to form the laws in any respect and we’d have misplaced a seat on the desk.”
Bastian added he knew staff had to face questions from customers about the company’s stance.
The airline also faced some calls for a boycott on social media.
Earlier Wednesday, Bastian issued a memo to staff condemning the bill.
“Last week, the Georgia legislature handed a sweeping voting reform act that would make it tougher for a lot of Georgians, notably these in our Black and Brown communities, to train their proper to vote,” Ed Bastian said in a staff memo Wednesday.
“Since the invoice’s inception, Delta joined different main Atlanta companies to work carefully with elected officers from each events, to try to take away a few of the most egregious measures from the invoice,” Bastian wrote. “We had some success in eliminating probably the most suppressive techniques that some had proposed.
However, I must make it crystal clear that the ultimate invoice is unacceptable and doesn’t match Delta’s values.”
Georgia Gov. Kemp shot back on Wednesday.
“At no level did Delta share any opposition to increasing early voting, strengthening voter ID measures, rising using safe drop packing containers statewide, and making it simpler for native election officers to manage elections — which is strictly what this invoice does.
“The last time I flew Delta, I had to present my photo ID,” Kemp stated in a press release. “Today’s statement by Delta CEO Ed Bastian stands in stark contrast to our conversations with the company, ignores the content of the new law, and unfortunately continues to spread the same false attacks being repeated by partisan activists.”
Delta declined to remark additional or specify which components of the invoice it tried to alter.
-CNBC’s Kevin Stankiewicz contributed to this text
