Boycott Uline
Don't Ship Hate
As North America's largest distributor of shipping, packaging and industrial supplies, ULINE is an omnipresent supplier in today’s shipping-fueled economy. ULINE was founded in 1980 by Elizabeth and Richard Uihlein—heirs to the Schlitz beer company fortune. We did not support Uline and here's a quick rundown on the many reasons why.
The Most Powerful Conservative Couple You’ve Never Heard Of
The Uihleins have funnelled over 100 million dollars into the most extreme right-wing politicians and movements in the United States. In each ULINE catalog Liz Uihlein brings her conservative politics directly to her customer base with a “letter from the president” where she broadcasts her right-wing political views openly to millions of customers.
There are many alternatives for small businesses to say no to hateful, dangerous and downright scary ultra-right-wing politicians.
Image courtesy of Koeppel Design,
Three people — Elon Musk, Miriam Adelson and Dick Uihlein — put a combined $220 million into groups supporting Donald J. Trump in July, August and September.
The Wisconsin shipping magnate behind Trump.
A Trump supporter who emerged as a bigger player than expected was Dick Uihlein, the chief executive of the shipping company Uline and one of the wealthiest people in the Midwest. Mr. Uihlein put a staggering $49 million last quarter into a super PAC he steers, Restoration PAC, which in turn dispensed most of his money into a collection of pro-Trump and other Republican groups, including Turnout for America. The super PAC has also run its own pro-Trump advertisements.
Mr. Uihlein’s gifts to support Mr. Trump had been more modest until now; this spending puts him on the list of the very biggest disclosed donors from either party this cycle.
Oct. 16, 2024, 5:04 a.m. ET
Despite their politics, millions of small businesses, non-profits and artists still use ULINE completely unaware of what their dollars are supporting. This needs to end now: REFUSE ULINE.
DM @refuseuline on Instagram or Twitter if you have suggestions or additions
ULINE ALTERNATIVES IN CANADA
Packaging Supplies and Shipping Boxes Canada | Free next-day delivery | Offices in Toronto, London & Montreal
Keypak is the company that Performance Improvements used & recommended.
Other Canadian options instead of using ULINE:
Uline's founders’ political activities threaten Uline’s future. Investigation into the Jan 6th US insurrection alleges that Richard Uihlein donated millions to far-right activist groups in 2020. This allegation can discourage some clients from doing business with Uline. Here is an in-depth analysis of top Uline’s competitors and alternatives: https://bstrategyhub.com/uline-competitors-alternatives/
Koeppel Design, a woman-owned and operated studio in San Francisco, California, also offers resources and alternatives to Uline. The folder below includes many Uline alternatives + a free downloadable cute-as-hell Fragile sticker to help you end your relationship with Uline!
Few political donors are as influential, yet little known, as Liz and Dick Uihlein.
The Midwestern couple has joined the upper pantheon of Republican donors alongside names like Koch, Mercer and Adelson. They have spent roughly $26 million on the current election cycle, supporting more than 60 congressional candidates, working outside the party establishment to advance a combative, hard-right conservatism, from Washington to the smallest town. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/07/us/politics/liz-dick-uihlein-republican-donors.html
If you’ve ever required shipping materials for your products and searched for companies that provided them, we bet you’ve come across Uline. Uline is a US based company that supplies materials for shipping including boxes, warehouse equipment, material handling equipment, etc. According to their website, they’re the “leading distributors of shipping, industrial and packaging materials to businesses throughout North America”.
However, there are several controversies surrounding the company and its policies. It’s claimed by many that the company pushes its political and religious agendas on their customers and buyers, which is wrong. Not just that. The company has been negatively reviewed for a wide range of reasons that we have listed below. https://www.arka.com/blogs/news/why-uline-sucks
Republican megadonor and ULINE CEO Richard Uihlein injected his Restoration PAC with another $7.1 million between July and September to help elect right-wing Republicans, bringing his total funding for the super PAC this cycle to $20.8 million, 97% of its total revenues. Restoration PAC used those new funds to donate $6.5 million to anti-abortion groups and right-wing, state-based campaigns... https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2022/10/18/uline-ceo-pours-another-7-1-million-into-his-restoration-pac-to-boost-anti-abortion-and-right-wing-candidates-and-causes/
The Uihleins are ranked by the donation-tracking site OpenSecrets.org as the fifth-largest donors in the United States to outside political spending organizations, having contributed a whopping $62.8 million to conservative groups in the 2020 election cycle. Shopping Uline is directly supporting extreme right-wing politics. https://rabbitbrushgoods.com/blogs/fyi/why-i-refuse-uline-and-why-you-should-too
Much of the cardboard and paper goods strewn about our homes — the mail-order boxes and grocery store bags — are sold by a single private company, with its name, Uline, stamped on the bottom. Few Americans know that a multibillion-dollar fortune made on those ubiquitous products is now fueling election deniers and other far-right candidates across the country.
https://www.propublica.org/article/uline-uihlein-election-denial
It’s usually the images of a violent mob attacking the U.S. Capitol that are associated with the effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election. But as more financial records become public, another image is emerging—of billionaires in MAGA gear writing large checks.
And one billionaire in particular.
Among the ranks of “dark money” groups and anonymous megadonors who bankrolled the effort is a familiar name in GOP fundraising circles: Dick Uihlein, founder of the multinational Uline shipping company.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/new-filings-reveal-another-billionaire-dick-uihlein-behind-the-big-lie
The Uihleins are a multi-generational far-right clan of wealthy conspiracy peddlers. The family money starts with the founding of the @SchlitzBrewing company (and you thought @MolsonCoors was the only fascist beer!). The Schlitz fortune let Edgar J. Uihlein pour money into Charles Lindbergh's America First movement, an antisemitic, pro-Nazi isolationist group that was part of a wider anti-Jewish movement that Lindbergh helped found, whose projects included commissioning and disseminating an an English translation of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a hoax document purporting to reveal a conspiracy of Jewish bankers to take over the world. https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/26/boxed-in/
As the 2020 election approaches, more and more businesses are announcing their opinions on Trump, some through their social media and others with their wallets. Ross is far from the only tycoon whose politics are prompting protests—a surprising number of businesses are financially tied to the 45th president in some way.
And a lot of them operate in Canada, too. Here are 19 U.S. brands with a Canadian presence that donate to Trump’s campaign: https://www.chatelaine.com/living/politics/companies-supporting-trump/
Staunchly pro-Trump Uihleins gave anonymous survey to workers at Uline, headquartered in swing state of Wisconsin
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/04/election-republican-uline-survey
Once the pandemic eased slightly, Comey began looking in earnest for an alternative source. Ultimately, her team found its new suppliers, the Boxery and Paper Mart, through Refuse Uline, a website that lists Uline alternatives in the U.S. and Canada. Comey chose her new suppliers based on three elements: their use of recycled materials, the proximity to her warehouses in New York and L.A., and prices that are comparable to what she was paying with Uline. https://nymag.com/strategist/article/rachel-comey-quit-uline.html
Refill Market Refuses Uline - This is your action item; start figuring out how to spend your money with a company that does not funnel it into anti-trans, pro-forced birth laws, and general supporting of alt-right extremist movements like the Jan 6 insurrection, Trump, etc. https://refillmarket.ca/2022/06/30/refuse-uline/
This helpful website is a useful resource to understanding why we shouldn’t be patronizing Uline, they of the ubiquitous inch-thick catalogues of shipping supplies.
Bonus reason: your letter carrier with thank you. https://ruk.ca/content/refuse-uline