A customer service employee at Uline, the massive office supply corporation, has dramatically resigned with a powerful public statement condemning the company's billionaire owners for their substantial financial support of Donald Trump's 2024 campaign and other MAGA Republicans.
A Resignation Grounded in Conscience
Laura Wittmann, a 32-year-old Canadian based in Ontario who had worked at Uline for four and a half years on a leadership track, submitted her resignation this week alongside a company-wide email that pulled no punches. In her two-page letter, Wittmann declared she could no longer contribute to the personal fortunes of individuals she holds responsible for America's political direction.
"As America descends rapidly into fascism," Wittmann wrote, "I can no longer work to grow the personal fortunes of people who helped make it so." She told the Guardian that her decision crystallised following the recent killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by border patrol agents in Minneapolis, events she found deeply troubling.
The Political Weight of the Uihlein Fortune
The company is owned by Liz and Dick Uihlein, who are ranked as the fourth-largest donors in the 2024 election cycle. According to Opensecrets, the couple has donated a staggering $139 million to MAGA Republicans and their associated political action committees. Their political activities are highly visible; they recently hosted Vice-President JD Vance for a speech at their facility in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Wittmann's resignation letter included a disclaimer stating her views were based on personal opinion, but she urged colleagues to research the Uihleins' record. She characterised their influence as a particularly insidious form of evil, hidden behind a veneer of corporate decorum and traditional values.
Corporate Culture and the 'Nomad' Letter
In her critique, Wittmann referenced a now-notorious 2022 letter from Liz Uihlein that was included in the company's extensive product catalogue. In that missive, Uihlein criticised employees who left the company within two years as "nomads," blaming the Affordable Care Act, parental support, and government stimulus checks for creating a generation unwilling to commit to work.
Wittmann interpreted this as a sign of deep disdain for workers. She challenged the narrative that Uline's higher-than-average pay was an act of generosity, suggesting instead it served as an "assurance of compliance" within a system she now rejects.
A Call to Action and Swift Company Response
Wittmann's email was a direct call to conscience for her fellow employees. "What is happening now in America and across the territories they invade is either by the design or the indifference of people like the Uihleins," she asserted, framing Uline workers as complicit parts of an "American imperialist war machine."
The company's response was swift. According to Wittmann's former colleagues, the resignation letter was removed from the corporate email system approximately 40 minutes after it was sent. A printed copy was later shared with the Guardian and published on Reddit. Uline itself declined to comment on the matter.
Wittmann confirmed she received a voicemail from Uline accepting her resignation effective immediately. She does not expect severance pay but feels financially secure enough to "take a hit" for her principles.
Personal Motivations and Looking Forward
Wittmann's decision was further influenced by a visit to the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, which highlighted the lack of consequences for historical atrocities. "What has changed since then? Or more importantly, what will ever change if we are too afraid to speak out and accept some personal risk?" she wrote, framing her email as a minimal act of defiance.
Describing herself as always interested in social justice, Wittmann is now considering her next steps, which may involve returning to education. She has been bolstered by supportive messages from former co-workers and strangers in Wisconsin who discovered her letter online.
This very public resignation from a major private company spotlights the growing tension between corporate political activism and employee conscience, raising profound questions about morality, money, and power in contemporary America.
