Just one of the five major brokerages either headquartered or with large owned presences in the US has taken affirmative action over the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade.
The decision removed the constitutional right to abortion in the country, with six states immediately making it illegal and as many as 26 – more than half the country – expected to do so in the coming weeks.
Cushman & Wakefield, which is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, where abortion is still legal, said it would reimburse employees who needed to travel to a different state to access abortion and other healthcare services.
In a note to its tens of thousands of employees in the US, shared with EG, the firm said: “As a company centred around its people, Cushman & Wakefield has an unwavering commitment to supporting the health and wellbeing of our employees and their families.”
It added: “Believing that all our employees should have equal access to safe and consistent healthcare, regardless of where they live, the firm is expanding healthcare benefits to reimburse up to $2,000 (£1,650) of travel-related expenses for US medical care, including reproductive healthcare, that is not available within 100 miles of an employee’s home.”
No other agency contacted by EG was able to comment on what, if any, action it would be committing to as EG went to press.
Outside of the agency world, other real estate businesses and investors have also committed to ensuring their staff are able to access healthcare.
Flexible office group WeWork will provide up to $4,000 for employees travelling to access legal abortion, while investment firms too have committed to helping workers, with both Blackstone and BlackRock covering travel expenses for employees who live in states where abortion is illegal.
Other companies to make such pledges include JPMorgan and Jefferies. Jefferies chief executive Rich Handler and president Brian Friedman also said they would personally donate $1m to charities that support women’s rights.
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