At Amazon’s annual shareholders meeting, 14 resolutions were proposed regarding various topics such as warehouse working conditions, labor unions, gender/racial pay, packaging materials, lobbying, and more. However, none of these resolutions passed. The resolutions related to warehouse working conditions and Amazon’s response to labor unions received the most support, with around 30% of shareholders voting in favor, but this was not enough for the resolutions to pass. Similar issues had also led shareholder votes at the previous year’s meeting, showing a consistent concern among shareholders.
In addition to the warehouse working conditions and labor unions resolutions, other proposals that received nearly 30% of votes included requests for additional reporting on gender and racial pay, packaging materials, and lobbying. Nine of the 14 proposals were repeat proposals from previous years that had failed to pass. Amazon mentioned in a proxy statement that some of the proposals contained assertions that they believed were incorrect or did not show an understanding of how the business operates. Despite the lack of approval for these proposals, the issues they addressed are still of concern to shareholders and continue to be brought up at annual meetings.
Amazon’s board, which was re-elected as part of the meeting, recommended that shareholders vote against all 14 outside proposals. One of the proposals requested the creation of an additional board committee to address human rights risks associated with the development and deployment of AI systems. Other proposals focused on Amazon’s climate impact, including one that asked the company to disclose “Scope 3” greenhouse gas emissions. Although these proposals did not pass, they indicate that shareholders are increasingly interested in how Amazon is handling issues related to human rights, AI development, and environmental impact.
The detailed results of the shareholder votes were not available initially, but were released on Friday afternoon after the annual meeting. This transparency allows for a better understanding of where shareholder priorities lie within the company. The fact that the warehouse working conditions and labor unions resolutions received the most support shows that these are key areas of concern for shareholders. Amazon’s response to, and handling of, these issues will continue to be closely watched by shareholders as they advocate for improvements in these areas.
While Amazon stated that some of the proposals were based on incorrect assertions or a lack of understanding of the business, the company will likely need to address these concerns in some way to maintain shareholder trust and confidence. The failure of the resolutions to pass does not necessarily mean that the issues they addressed will be overlooked, as shareholders will continue to push for improvements in areas such as warehouse working conditions, labor unions, gender and racial pay equity, and environmental impact. Amazon’s response to these shareholder concerns will be crucial in determining the company’s reputation and long-term sustainability in the eyes of investors and the public.
