J.B. Hunt Expands Workplace Policies to Protect LGBT Employees

Boston, MA // August 8, 2016: Trillium is pleased to share that following a yearlong engagement with transportation company J.B. Hunt (NASDAQ: JBHT) the board has decided to amend the company’s equal employment opportunity policy to protect all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) employees.
These changes follow our shareholder proposal presented at the June annual meeting asking the company to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the EEO policy. Although J.B. Hunt management advised shareholders to vote against these changes, the proposal received a remarkable 54.7% vote. In response to the majority vote, the board appointed an internal task force to study, compile, and identify the practical effects of amending its EEO policy to include sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. At the recent July board meeting, the J.B. Hunt directors approved the policy amendment, ultimately providing protections for its 19,000 employees across the country.
By making these changes, J.B. Hunt joins many other Arkansas businesses (including Wal-Mart, Tyson Foods & Dillard’s) who have implemented policies that protect their gay and lesbian, bisexual and transgendered employees from discrimination in the workplace.
Federal law does not provide employment discrimination protection based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Nor do 27 states, including Arkansas, where J.B. Hunt is headquartered. As reported by the Human Rights Campaign, 75% of Fortune 500 companies have included sexual orientation and gender identity in their workplace policies.
Trillium commends J.B. Hunt for making these critical changes in promoting an inclusive work environment for all employees, which in our view, is linked to long-term shareholder value creation. Research from the Williams Institute has also shown that LGBT-supportive policies lead to positive business outcomes, lower staff turnover, and increased job satisfaction.

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