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Wal-Mart Stores – Report on the Employee Free Choice Act Lobbying Activities and Expenses (2009)

February 25, 2009

Resolved Shareholders of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (the “Company”) request that the Board of Directors prepare a report by September 30, 2009, at reasonable expense and omitting proprietary information, describing the Company’s lobbying activities and expenses relating to the Employee Free Choice Act, together with a description of the lobbying activities and expenses of any entity supported by the Company, during the 110th Congress. Supporting Statement The Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 800) would modernize the National Labor Relations Act by streamlining the process through which employees form, join, or assist labor organizations as well as providing for mandatory injunctions for …

Verizon – Internet Censorship (2009)

February 25, 2009

WHEREAS The Internet is becoming the defining infrastructure of our economy and society in the 21st century. Its potential to open markets for commerce, venues for cultural expression and modalities of civic engagement is without historic parallel. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are gatekeepers to this infrastructure: providing access, managing traffic, insuring communication, and forging rules that shape, enable and limit the public’s Internet use. As such, ISPs have a weighty responsibility in devising network management practices. ISPs must give far-ranging thought to how these practices serve to promote–or inhibit–the public’s participation in the economy and in civil society. Of fundamental …

Nucor Corp. – Modern Slavery Report (2009)

February 25, 2009

WHEREAS Bloomberg Markets Magazine reported in a cover story that “Nucor Corp., the second-largest U.S. steel company, buys pig iron made with charcoal produced by slaves.” The article reported that certain entities in Nucor’s supply chain were identified by Brazilian labor officials as using slaves and also discussed the use of illegal logging in charcoal camps. (The Secret World of Modern Slavery, by Michael Smith and David Voreacos, Bloomberg Markets, December 2006) The US State Department reports: Brazil is “a source country for men trafficked internally for forced labor.” The report noted that “A lack of government resources and dedicated …

Macy’s – Product Stewardship Policy (2009)

February 25, 2009

WHEREAS In recent years, hazardous chemicals in products have become a high profile concern for consumers, as evidenced by widespread attention to lead in toys, bibs and lipstick; bisphenol-A in polycarbonate baby bottles; and phthalates and other chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products. Chemicals in products have become a growing concern for legislators and regulators as well, as evidenced by state legislation outlawing brominated flame retardants, mercury, and phthalates in selected products. Polyvinyl chloride is one type of plastic that can be used in packaging and product. Other major retailers, principally Wal-Mart, Target, Sears, K-Mart, and JC Penney, have …

Kellogg Company – Nanotechnology in Food (2009)

February 25, 2009

WHEREAS Nanotechnology is the science of manipulating matter at the molecular scale to build structures, tools, or products, known as nanomaterials. The extremely small particles create opportunities for innovation; however the scientific community has raised serious questions about safety. The processed food industry is reportedly involved in research on the use of nanomaterials, but it is not publicly known whether such materials are used in Kellogg products or packaging. The novel properties of nanomaterials offer many new opportunities for food industry applications, for example as potent nutritional additives, stronger flavorings and colorings, or antibacterial ingredients for food packaging. However these …

Home Deport – Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) (2009)

February 25, 2009

WHEREAS Equal employment opportunity (EEO) is a fair employment practice and an investment issue. We believe that companies with a good EEO record have a competitive advantage in recruiting and retaining employees. Moreover, we believe Home Depot customers are increasingly diverse; therefore a similarly diverse work force is more likely to anticipate and respond effectively to consumer demand. EEO reporting has economic relevance. Home Depot shareholder votes in favor of a diversity report surpassed 25%, 25% and 36% in 2008, 2007 and 2006, respectively – sending a consistent signal to management that shareowners desire increased accountability. The Company annually files …

Goldman Sachs – Loan Servicing Policy and Report (2009)

February 25, 2009

WHEREAS Our corporation is one of the largest servicers of subprime and other alternative housing loans with servicing rights of about $54 billion of subprime loans as of the end of June and with other purchases from Fremont General in June and about $1.2 billion of loans and servicing rights from Popular Inc in September. The Mortgage Metrics Report of the Office of Thrift Supervision and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for major servicers under their supervision shows over 11 % of subprime loans were seriously delinquent. Of these seriously delinquent loans of lenders supervised by them, …

Dow Chemical Company – Pesticide Health Effects of 2,4-D (2009)

February 17, 2009

WHEREAS Dow AgroSciences is the sole U.S. producer and largest global producer of the herbicide 2,4-D, with a production capacity of 20,000 tons in 2004. Dow AgroSciences sells this chemical to other companies to formulate into finished products; over 70 products contain 2,4-D as an active ingredient. 2,4-D has been linked in various studies to be an endocrine disruptor with predicted human health risks ranging from changes in estrogen and testosterone levels, thyroid problems, prostate cancer and reproductive abnormalities. Other studies indicate that it is a neurotoxin, linked to effects like brain cell death, Parkinson’s-like tremors, delays in brain development …

Enbridge – Free Prior & Informed Consent (2009)

February 17, 2009

WHEREAS The company’s proposed $4.5 billion Northern Gateway Project (Gateway) in Western Canada takes place in areas where comprehensive aboriginal territory claims have not been settled – i.e. where aboriginal groups have not signed Treaties or otherwise ceded their title. In 1997, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that exercising power in a manner that negatively impacts ecosystems may extinguish aboriginal title by destroying their relationship to the land and thus incite legal action from First Nations to halt resource development activities. Delgamuukw v. British Columbia Furthermore, lands held pursuant to aboriginal title have an ‘inescapable economic component’ which affirms …

ExxonMobil – Implement Sexual Orientation Non Discrimination Policy (2009)

February 17, 2009

WHEREAS ExxonMobil Corporation, does not explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in its written employment policy; Over 88% of the Fortune 500 companies have adopted written nondiscrimination policies prohibiting harassment and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, as have more than 98% of Fortune 100 companies, according to the Human Rights Campaign; over 30% now prohibit discrimination based on gender identity; We believe that corporations that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity have a competitive advantage in recruiting and retaining employees from the widest talent pool; According to a June, …

Macy’s – Product Stewardship Policy (2009)

Kellogg Company – Nanotechnology in Food (2009)

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