BuII $chit. The role of business is to make a profit. Period. If they feel like it, they might pay you a decent wage.

Incorrect. Many businesses find that paying higher than market rates is what allows them to prosper. Depends on whether you consider employees assets or expenses.

Then they should certainly eliminate the parking lot, since that real estate cost would allow them to be far more profitable and competitive. Since that's not going to happen, consider that this particular employee, by not using a parking space, is far cheaper than his peers.

They can also consider the cost of replacing an employee they drove off over a $500 bike rack. Penny-wise and pound-foolish.

One need not invoke any sort of social fairness to show the employer is being pigheaded, one can rely solely on basic capitalism.

Employers with a parking shortage get it. The rest... not so much.

Around here, sprawl still rules, with every office building having about 1.5 times the parking spots they actually need... all built by developers who then lease to tenants who have no connection to land cost. I've mentioned before that we lease space from the largest retail space owner in town. They do not install bike racks and deny any requests because it messes up the aesthetic of their buildings.

My company has no motivation to reduce parking or fight for the bike rack. I am somewhat surprised that the landlord hasn't objected to my bringing the bike in across the marble every day. The day they do though, my company will either back me up, or I will leave. They don't "owe" me anything, but I don't own a car, and without a place to keep my bike I'll go elsewhere.

Often though, the attitude of a company is determined by one mid-level person. Our transit service offers a free ride home program that gives people free cab far or rental cars to use in the case of emergencies. I've tried multiple times to get the company to sign up for it, thinking it would clear most of the objections people have with walk/ride/bus, but our HR person can't be bothered.

Around here we have gotten some positive responses from retail space owners and most like the green image that a bike rack gives. If you have made a request for a bike rack and got turned down put out some press on a local blog about them not being green and you might get them to reconsider.