Kerry's Latest Benedict Arnold is HeinzKerry's Latest Benedict Arnold is Heinz

During the 2004 presidential campaign, Democratic candidate <a href="http://www.johnkerry.com">John Kerry </a>vilified corporate heads who presided over the outsourcing of jobs overseas as "Benedict Arnold CEOs." Kerry can now add another industry chieftain to his list of those he considers to be national traitors: William R. Johnson, president, CEO, and chairman of <a href="http://www.heinz.com">H.J. Heinz Company</a>-the multi-billion dollar food empire founded by Teresa Heinz Kerry's late, fo

Paul McDougall, Editor At Large, InformationWeek

April 15, 2005

1 Min Read
InformationWeek logo in a gray background | InformationWeek

During the 2004 presidential campaign, Democratic candidate John Kerry vilified corporate heads who presided over the outsourcing of jobs overseas as "Benedict Arnold CEOs." Kerry can now add another industry chieftain to his list of those he considers to be national traitors: William R. Johnson, president, CEO, and chairman of H.J. Heinz Company-the multi-billion dollar food empire founded by Teresa Heinz Kerry's late, former father-in-law.At least six IT workers at Heinz headquarters in Pittsburgh have lost their jobs in the past month due to a department restructuring under which the company is outsourcing a number of application development positions to India. The job transfers are part of a services agreement with IBM originally struck in February 2004.

A spokesman for Heinz says that 105 IT positions within the company were transferred to IBM under the deal but says he is unaware of plans to move the jobs offshore. However, a source close to the agreement confirms that, to date, at least six application development jobs have been shifted to IBM's Indian facilities.

Teresa Heinz Kerry, John Kerry's wife, does not hold any executive or board positions with H.J. Heinz. She is currently chairman of the Howard Heinz endowment and the Heinz Family Philanthropies.

Read more about:

20052005

About the Author

Paul McDougall

Editor At Large, InformationWeek

Paul McDougall is a former editor for InformationWeek.

Never Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.

You May Also Like


More Insights