United for Respect and World Animal Protection Urge BC Partners to Do Better
Blog
We helped deliver United for Respect’s petitions to BC Partners, the private equity firm that owns PetSmart, urging them to address the poor treatment of workers and animals in their stores.
On December 6, World Animal Protection joined United for Respect to deliver their petitions to BC Partners, the private equity firm that owns PetSmart, at their Manhattan offices. The petitions call on BC Partners to do better for PetSmart workers and animals alike. BC Partners’ inhumane management practices are hurting animals and the workers who love and care for them.
Liz Cabrera Holtz joins United for Respect in New York City to tell BC Partners to put #PetCareOverProfits.
United for Respect has uncovered how welfare has plummeted under BC Partners’ control due to insufficient staffing, training, supplies, and equipment that is jeopardizing animal welfare in stores. Dog grooming deaths have risen sharply, and workers aren’t given the resources they need to provide the level of care that animals need.
Everyone deserves to live and work in dignity, but PetSmart workers aren’t being treated with respect. In addition to providing the supplies, equipment, staffing, and training they need, United for Respect and PetSmart workers are also calling on BC Partners to guarantee better working conditions including a $15 minimum wage, quality employer-paid healthcare, job protections, and worker representation on the Board of Directors.
Our Message to PetSmart
We stand in solidarity with all workers fighting to be treated fairly and reiterate our call for PetSmart to stop treating animals like commodities. Animals aren’t products, and they don’t belong on store shelves. For the last several years, we’ve been urging PetSmart to take the first step by phasing out the sale of reptiles and amphibians in its stores. By selling wild animals, PetSmart is fueling the destructive wildlife trade—causing animal suffering and leaving us vulnerable to the next pandemic.
We aren’t giving up. Join us in telling PetSmart to stop supporting the cruel multibillion-dollar wildlife trade that exploits animals on an industrial scale.