"Amazon shareholders reject 15 motions on worker rights and environment", 25 May 2022

Amazon shareholders have rejected 15 resolutions brought forward by investors in a push to influence the company’s environmental impact and treatment of workers.

Shareholders voted on Wednesday against all the resolutions, most of which focused on worker rights and other social issues. The resolutions included calls for the company to report on worker health and safety and the treatment of its warehouse workers, and a review of Amazon’s use of plastic and changes to the company’s process for board nominations.

Amazon’s board had recommended that its shareholders vote against all resolutions, arguing in its proxy statement that it has already acted to address the underlying concerns of many of the proposals...

A proposal from the activist investor group Tulipshare called on Amazon to conduct an independent audit of warehouse workers’ wages and working conditions. Though the vote did not pass, the group plans to resubmit the motion next year.

“Whilst we are disappointed that our proposal did not pass today, this vote was just the beginning in the fight for workers’ rights,” said Antoine Argouges, CEO and founder of Tulipshare, adding that Amazon had not yet disclosed the full outcome of the vote, or by what percentage the proposal was rejected...

The increase in the number of resolutions underscores the rise of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG)-based investing, which is spurring more shareholders to push for corporate accountability.

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