Information for JB Hunt Shareholders Regarding our Non-Discrimination Shareholder Proposal
APRIL 13, 2016: Trillium Asset Management has published a letter to shareholders of JB Hunt Transport Services Inc. (NASDAQ: JBHT) urging them to vote in favor of our non-discrimination shareholder proposal which appears as item #3 on the company’s 2016 proxy card. Shareholders will vote on the proposal at the company’s annual meeting, which takes place on April 21, 2016.
Shareholders request that:
“J.B. Hunt amend its written equal employment opportunity policy to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression and to take concrete action to implement the policy”
JB Hunt employs more than 20,000 people and operates in all 48 contiguous states.
Federal law does not provide discrimination protection based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Currently 27 states, including Arkansas where JB Hunt is headquartered, do not provide these protections. However, 93% of Fortune 500 companies have included sexual orientation in their workplace policies. These include peer companies like CSX, Union Pacific, United Parcel Service, and FedEx.
We believe strongly that companies and workers benefit from consistent, corporate-wide efforts to prevent discrimination, ensuring a respectful and supportive atmosphere for all employees. As investors, we also believe that workplace discrimination diminishes morale and therefore companies that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression have a competitive advantage in recruiting and retaining employees from the widest talent pool.
You can read more about our rationale for a “Yes” vote by clicking here.
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For more information: Randy Rice, Trillium Asset Management, rrice@trilliuminvest.com, 617-515-6889
Important disclosure: The information provided in this material should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell the security mentioned. It should not be assumed that investments in such security has been or will be profitable. To the extent a specific security is mentioned, it was selected by the authors on an objective basis to illustrate views expressed in the commentary and it does not represent all of the securities purchased, sold or recommended for advisory clients. The information contained herein has been prepared from sources believed reliable but is not guaranteed as to its timeliness or accuracy, and is not a complete summary or statement of all available data. This piece is for informational purposes and should not be construed as a research report.
