The As You Sow Foundation has sent Sprawl-Busters the following account of the group’s activity at the recent Wal-Mart Annual Meeting in Arkansas: “A shareholder resolution asking the company to develop a report measuring corporate performance against economic, social and environmental criteria received 15.2% of shares voted at the company’s annual meeting last week (according to a preliminary count). When the 40% share stake of the Walton family is subtracted, this represents an affirmative vote of 25.3%, or one in every four non-family shares voting for the proposal. Shareholder support continues to grow despite greatly increased efforts by the company to improve its image through advertising and public relations rather than to deal substantively with many of the issues raised by social justice groups. The main filer of the resolution is the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits of the United Methodist Church. The As You Sow Foundation is a co-filer along with 26 other socially concerned funds, firms and religious groups. The company has said it will do a report at some time but won’t say
when. More information on the proposal is at www.proxyinformation.com.
For further information about the As You Sow Foundation’s work to make Wal-Mart a more socially responsible company, contact Conrad MacKerron, Director, at 415-391-3212 ext. 31, or go to www.asyousow.org.
