Shareholder Activism
2019 Proxy Season Wrap-Up: Drawdown, Discrimination, and Drug Prices
We’re always interested in new and action-oriented ideas. One source of inspiration last year was Project Drawdown by Paul Hawken. Drawdown is a book that ranks the 100 most impactful solutions for climate change, based on their potential greenhouse gas…
McDonald’s raises the level of transparency on forced arbitration policies for all companies
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Molly Betournay, [email protected], 802-526-2525
Norwich, VT (April 16, 2019) – Last week, McDonald’s disclosed the extent to which it is using mandatory arbitration and confidentiality clauses in employee agreements. This new disclosure marks a major…
A ray of sunlight from SVB Financial Group
At Clean Yield, we believe that sunlight is the best disinfectant. The latest ray of light comes courtesy of SVB Financial Group, a diversified financial services company based in Silicon Valley. Late last year, Clean Yield asked SVB to shed…
Investors want McDonald’s to say more about harassment and discrimination
Clean Yield, a Vermont-based investment firm, is challenging McDonald’s, one of the nation’s largest employers, to be more transparent about workplace harassment.
Last month, Clean Yield filed a shareholder proposal asking McDonald’s to report to shareholders on how emerging state…
From sticky to sweet at Tractor Supply (and 2018 Proxy Season Wrap-up)
Concerned about bees? We are too. We see the important role they play in supporting a healthy, sustainable food system. Also, we like honey. Last summer, the Clean Yield team discovered that Tractor Supply Company, a chain of box stores…
Clean Yield successfully withdraws proposal on political transparency at Alphabet
Clean Yield is pleased to announce the withdrawal of a shareholder proposal filed at Alphabet seeking increased political transparency. Since Clean Yield filed the proposal, Alphabet has meaningfully strengthened its systems for managing political activities. Most notably, the company has…
#timesup for mandatory arbitration
Amidst the onslaught of news stories about sexual harassment – from Uber to News Corp to the Humane Society – one story caught our eye. In December, Microsoft announced that it was supporting legislation addressing sexual harassment and would end…
2017 Proxy Season Wrap-up
The 2017 proxy season brought new highs and lows for shareholder advocates. The volume of shareholder voices reached new decibels this year, with record votes in support of climate risk disclosure at major energy companies Exxon Mobil, Occidental Petroleum, and…
Putting Sustainability Oversight Into the CEO’s Job Description
The average corporate CEO makes over $16 million per year. Although the image of the CEO goes hand in hand with office treadmills and bottomless cups of coffee, I sometimes wonder if they are, paradoxically, the most unmotivated people in…
Grocery Store Giant Commits to Fairer Wages for Farm Laborers
This summer, the parent company of Giant, Stop & Shop, and Peapod, Koninklijke Ahold NV joined the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ (CIW) Fair Food Program, in one swoop increasing the number of U.S grocery stores carrying Fair Food tomatoes by…
A Real Buzzkill: Neonicotinoids
For a couple of weeks each spring, I find a few bumblebees — or their corpses — when I enter my home office in the morning. Massive, buzzing loudly, and flying confusedly about the room, the live ones must be…
General Mills Updates Pollinator Policies
Clean Yield Asset Management was pleased to withdraw a shareholder proposal at General Mills, co-filed with As You Sow Foundation, after a constructive dialogue resulting additional commitments by the company to support beleaguered pollinator populations. In so doing, General Mills…