Shareholder Proposals & Engagement with Corporations

Since 2000, NorthStar has initiated over 425 engagements with companies in our client portfolios as an integral part of the socially responsible investment process at our company. We consider it a fiduciary duty to engage with the companies in which we invest to improve the company’s standing on such issues as systemic racism, human rights, the environment and climate change, board and senior management diversity, employee voice and power, the rights of migrant workers, LGBTQ+ equality, and more. Each year, we file innovative new proposals at companies in our clients’ portfolios with the goals of protecting communities, encouraging better corporate behavior, and progressing forward on a variety of social issues. Below is a sampling of our engagements over the past two decades.

Racial Justice & Gender Equity

ISSUE AREA COMPANY
Assessing inclusion in the workplace (systemic racism in company culture) Intel, PayPal, FedEx
Add sexual orientation and/or gender identity to the company’s non-discrimination policy. Fuel Cell, Hubbell, FedEx, Home Depot, Exxon Mobil, IDEX Corporation
Commitment to including women and people of color in every board search Badger Meter, EMC, Intel, Harsco, Home Depot, IDEXX Laboratories, Stryker, Whole Foods Market, Costco, Ecolab
Link executive pay to diversity in senior management IDEXX Laboratories, WhiteWave Foods
Gender disparity in health insurance cost Aetna
Race & gender equity compensation report Wal-Mart
Report on race and gender of stock option recipients Verizon, Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart

 

Economic Equality

ISSUE AREA COMPANY
Fair chance employment Microsoft, Badger Meter, Adobe, Xylem
Report on racial/ethnic disparity in loan costs Wells Fargo
Big box store siting and land procurement policy changes Costco
Community reinvestment Western Union
Home preservation rate Wells Fargo
Report on prison labor in the supply chain (or similar) TJX Companies, Costco Wholesale, Microsoft, IBM, Home Depot
Report on executive compensation and benefits for same-sex partners FedEx

 

Human Rights

ISSUE AREA COMPANY
Assess cost/impact of AZ immigration law on Company First Solar
Create a Board Committee on Human Rights Apple, Western Union
Report on how investment policies address or could address human rights issues (Sudan) Citigroup, Merrill Lynch
LGBT protections in states with discriminatory laws FedEx, Procter & Gamble, Western Union

 

Environmental Justice

ISSUE AREA COMPANY
Adopt a policy supporting the human right to water Connecticut Water Services, PepsiCo, Intel, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Aqua America, AIG, Ecolab, Keurig Green Mountain, Exxon Mobil, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Aqua America, American Water Works, American States Water Co.
Report on chemical and biological testing data for beverage products Coca-Cola
Cease anti-GMO support through associations WhiteWave Foods
Sustainability report Chubb

 

Corporate Governance

ISSUE AREA COMPANY
Executive compensation review Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Coca-Cola, Hain Celestial
Equal shareholder voting (one vote per share) Alphabet (formerly Google), Facebook, A.O. Smith
Congruency between Political Contributions and Company Values General Mills, Staples, McGraw Hill, FedEx, Home Depot, Procter & Gamble, Chubb, Ecolab, Johnson & Johnson, Google, Western Union, Intel, Praxair, EMC, CVS Health
Risk governance committee Western Union
Say on pay Hain Celestial, Tootsie Roll, Johnson & Johnson

CHARITABLE GIVING

NorthStar’s clients have a strong giving tradition, making annual charitable gifts that support hundreds of organizations committed to progressive causes. Take a look at a small sample of the non-profits our clients support.

CONTACT US

PHONE
  • 617.522.2635
  • 617.522.3165
OFFICE ADDRESS
MAILING ADDRESS
  • P.O. Box 301840, Boston MA 02130

AFFILIATIONS