We are retail associates who are speaking out about racial justice and health & safety on the job ahead of this year’s Walmart and Amazon annual shareholder meetings.

Whether filing our own shareholder resolutions or supporting proposals from concerned investors, United for Respect members are offering our frontline perspective on America’s two largest retailers to shareholders who are invested in the well-being of the workers who power their profits.

Racial Equity Audits are becoming an increasingly common topic for shareholders, as investors seek to minimize the operational and reputational risks that arise from racial inequity and workplace discrimination.

Lending their voice to the conversation, United for Respect leaders are supporting the following shareholder resolutions addressing racial justice in the workplace at Walmart and Amazon:

Walmart Proposal #7: Racial Equity Audit ✅

Amazon Item #13: Additional Reporting on Gender/Racial Pay ✅

Note: This is not a solicitation of authority to vote your proxy.

Walmart

In response to associate concerns, United for Respect has filed a shareholder resolution (Proposal #7) at Walmart calling for a full racial equity audit. 

Several aspects of Walmart’s business suggest a racial equity audit would help mitigate reputational, regulatory, legal, and human capital risk; and associates have repeatedly raised issues of workplace discrimination, pay disparities, and occupational segregation.

At Walmart, people of color comprise 49% of its U.S. workforce but make up only 27% of its U.S. Officers and 18% of its Board of Directors. 

The company also received an F on this year’s Racial and Gender Pay Scorecard from Arjuna Capital and Proxy Impact. 

Note: This is not a solicitation of authority to vote your proxy.

Amazon

Amazon Associates across the country are calling for higher pay as they struggle to make ends meet and keep up with rising inflation. This year, associates are speaking up in support of a shareholder resolution filed by Arjuna Capital (Item 13) calling for transparency around Racial and Gender Pay Gaps to shed light on how the company compensates its employees, specifically women and workers of color. 

Amazon’s 2021 employee data shows how women and workers of color are grossly underrepresented at the top of company hierarchy: 

The effects of this type of occupational segregation likely result in racial and gender pay gaps at Amazon, which are exacerbated by the challenges associates face like unstable schedules, low pay, and a lack of upward mobility. 

“Many associates are unable to move up the career ladder… When associates don’t feel like they have a path forward at Amazon, they can lose interest in the work and leave, leading to Amazon’s massive turnover problem. This is why I am supporting Arjuna Capital’s shareholder resolution calling for transparency around racial and gender pay gaps. It often feels like not everyone at Amazon has the same opportunities for advancement and promotion, and being transparent on pay is an important first step in ensuring equity and retaining hard-working employees.”

– Ron Sewell
Amazon Associate and United for Respect leader from Georgia

Note: This is not a solicitation of authority to vote your proxy.

We know shareholders should have all the information possible to evaluate their investments, including data related to our concerns around health and safety in our facilities.

We are providing our expertise as Associates at Amazon and Walmart — and a reality check about what’s happening inside our facilities — as a much-needed counterbalance to the company spin. 

Walmart Proposal #12: Workplace Safety and Violence Review ✅

Amazon Item #21: Report on Warehouse Working Conditions ✅

Note: This is not a solicitation of authority to vote your proxy.

Walmart

Cynthia Murray, a Walmart Associate from Maryland, has filed her own resolution (Proposal #12) calling for an independent review of company policies and practices around health and safety.

Given worker concerns around COVID, workplace injuries, and incidents of gun violence, this resolution is requesting an evaluation of current policies that are contributing to the problem, as well as recommendations to make Walmart a safer place to work and shop. 

“Every person deserves to be safe at work, and every employer has an obligation to implement reasonable safety measures to protect their employees and in turn, our customers, from harm. This is especially true in public-facing positions that come with obvious risks – exposure to illness, violence, physical and mental stress.” 

– Cynthia Murray
Walmart Associate and United for Respect founder from Maryland

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Walmart has come under increasing scrutiny over how it has handled health and safety at its stores.

According to an analysis of OSHA and BLS data by the National Employment Law Project, while the private sector saw declines in COVID-19 infection rates in 2021, Walmart’s rates actually rose that year.

The same analysis found that Walmart Supercenter workers experienced work-related injuries and illnesses at a rate more than twice the industry average for warehouse clubs and supercenters.

And while the scourge of gun violence affects the entire country, Walmart employees are speaking up about the frequency of gun incidents at their stores, and demanding better training and precautions. 

Note: This is not a solicitation of authority to vote your proxy.

Amazon

In 2022, Amazon shareholders nearly passed a resolution calling for an independent audit of warehouse working conditions. In the year since, Amazon’s injury crisis has only grown more prominent. In the past year alone:

  • OSHA has an active national investigation into serious injuries and safety recordkeeping at Amazon.
  • The DOJ is investigating Amazon over concerns that the company misreported injury data in the process of securing loans from creditors.
  • Legislation that would provide protections for warehouse workers has advanced in multiple states, including New York, Illinois, Minnesota, and even Texas. These bills require transparency around productivity metrics, and that warehouse employees be informed in writing of their expected quotas. Some of these bills also prohibit quotas from interfering with a worker’s ability to use the bathroom or take necessary safety precautions to do their job safely. 

Along with organizing to demand safer working conditions, Amazon Associates are informing shareholders that they have a second chance in 2023 to support the reintroduced resolution (Item #21) calling for an independent report on warehouse working conditions. 

Note: This is not a solicitation of authority to vote your proxy

We engage directly with investors every chance we get, all year round. But our outreach really kicks into high gear every shareholder season, and this year is no exception. Along with filing our own resolutions, workers are taking our message around safety and racial equity straight to shareholders.

Here’s a recap of highlights from the 2023 season:

    • In March, United for Respect leaders from Amazon, Walmart, and Dollar General attended the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility’s Spring Conference in New York. Joining a session on occupational health and safety, these workers told their stories and answered shareholder questions about conditions at their workplaces.

 

 

  • Leaders from Amazon’s ATL6 sortation center raised issues of pay equity to local elected officials and participated in a worker webinar for shareholders in April, connecting issues of low pay, unpredictable scheduling, and the lack of upward mobility to racial and gender pay gaps. 

“Last year I became the first Amazon warehouse associate to file my own shareholder resolution at the company, calling for an end to unsafe productivity quotas and workplace surveillance. But after Andy Jassy and the board opposed my, and every other, shareholder resolution, the problems remain. This year I’m encouraged that shareholders are once again demanding change and accountability at Amazon and continuing to echo worker concerns around racial pay gaps, unsafe warehouse working conditions, and workers’ rights.”
– Daniel Olayiwola
SAT4 Warehouse Associate and United for Respect leader from Texas

  • Shareholder Resolutions

 

  • Exempt Solicitations
    • Racial Equity Audit at Walmart (link coming soon)
    • Health and Safety Audit at Walmart (link coming soon)
    • Racial and Gender Pay Gaps at Amazon
    • Warehouse Working Conditions at Amazon (link coming soon)

 

Note: This is not a solicitation of authority to vote your proxy.