Sustainability Reporting describing the company’s environmental, social and governance business practices—co-filed with Walden Asset Management

Emerson Electric: re-filed resolution which received 34% last year. C.R. Bard: a slightly modified version of last year’s resolution was filed. After it received 28% last May, the company met informally with ICCR but then declined to move to greater transparency.

 

Hydraulic Fracturing: Community Impacts – Risk Assessment -- disclosure on the impacts of fracking on local community and the financial risks of these impacts. This resolution includes both environmental impacts to water quality, health impacts from exposure to water and air, and is broad enough to include social ills documented in fracking towns.

 

ExxonMobil: last year’s toxic chemical disclosure received a 28.2% vote Chevron: last year’s toxic chemical disclosure received a 41% vote

 

Here is a sampling of the significant press coverage after last year’s votes.

 

New: Political Spending Resolution – response to Citizens United ruling. Calls on corporations to review policies and oversight processes related to political spending and public policy, both direct and indirect including through trade associations, and present a summary report by September 2012.

 

IBM: Review and disclosure of any direct and indirect expenditures supporting or opposing candidates, for issue ads designed to affect political races, including dues and special payments made to trade associations, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

By Dan Bacher

The Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee, in a special hearing in the State Capitol in Sacramento on July 7, passed AB 685, the Human Right to Water bill.

This landmark bill would establish in law a state policy that every Californian has a "human right to clean, affordable, and accessible drinking water for their basic human needs," according to a joint news release from the Environmental Justice Coalition for Water (EJCW) and Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC).

"After hearing moving testimony from safe water advocates and residents of California communities without access to safe drinking water, the committee voted 5-3 in favor," said Debbie Davis, Policy Director of the Environmental Justice Coalition for Water. "A broad-based coalition of faith-based, human rights, environmental, consumer rights and environmental justice groups celebrated the latest legislative victory for the human right to water package moving through the legislature."

The vote was on party lines, with the 5 Democrats present voting for the bill and the 3 Republicans voting against it. Democratic Senators Fran Pavley, Noreen Evans, Christine Kehoe, Joe Simitian and Lois Wolk voted yes, while Republican Senators Doug LaMalfa, Anthony Cannella and Jean Fuller voted no. Democratic Senator Alex Padilla was absent.

"California is one step closer to being the first state in the nation to establish this historic policy which would help everyone have access to clean, affordable water at their tap," stated Davis.

AB 685, introduced by Assemblyman Mike Eng, is the lead policy bill in package of six Human Right to Water bills. Four of the five other bills in the package -- AB 938 (V.M.Perez), AB 983 (Perea), AB 1221 (Alejo) and SB 244 (Wolk) have also won support in their house of origin and received bipartisan support in the latest round of policy committees votes, according to Davis.

"Although this latest vote was on party lines, we hope that the bill proceeds to the Senate Floor and receives bi-partisan support," said Reverend Lindi Ramsden, Executive Director of the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry. "We have collected over 1,000 letters of support from people of a variety of political perspectives across the state from Humboldt County to San Diego County."

"While billions of dollars have been spent on water projects in California, we have still much work to do to make sure that everyone has access to clean water to drink," emphasized Ramsden.

More than 11.5 million Californians rely on water from suppliers that experienced at least one violation of State Drinking Water Standards as reported to the Department of Public Health in 2004, according to Davis. As many as 8.5 million Californians rely on supplies that experienced more than five instances of unsafe levels in a single year.

“The Human Right to Water bill passed the Legislature and was vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2009,” added Davis. “We are hopeful that with Brown’s experience on California water issues, we’ll have a different outcome this year.”

Co-sponsoring organizations include the Environmental Justice Coalition for Water, Community Water Center, Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry, Food and Water Watch, California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, Southern California Watershed Alliance, Winneman Wintu Tribe, Urban Semillas, Catholic Charities Diocese of Stockton and Clean Water Action.

This bill is opposed by the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA), the Western Growers Association and several other water service providers, who contend the bill "may lead to a requirement that water agencies provide water service without consideration to affordability, thereby increasing water bills and have other unintended consequences," according to the Legislative Analysis.

While the state and federal governments continue to promote the construction of a peripheral canal ("conveyance") through the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) to facilitate the export of northern California water to corporate agribusiness on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and southern California water agencies, many rural and urban communities have to rely on surface and groundwater supplies contaminated by fertilizers, toxic chemicals, sewage and other pollutants.

In July 2010, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution recognizing access to clean water and sanitation as a human right. The vote was 122 for and 0 against, with 41 countries, including the United States, abstaining. Over 884 million people throughout the word lack access to safe drinking water.

For more information, contact: Debbie Davis, EJCW, (916) 743-4406, or Shelley Moskowitz, UUSC, (857) 222-8824.

Aiming to spur greater corporate involvement in the reform of U.S. immigration policy, the Unitarian Universalist Association, along with more than 60 institutional investors, is urging the CEOs of leading American companies to speak out for immigration policy reform.

The group of investors, representing more than $145 billion, issued a letter on February 23 urging CEOs to speak out publicly in support of reform that includes a pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants. The letter suggests that companies post their support on their websites and in other corporate publications.

The initiative was spearheaded by Tim Brennan, treasurer and chief financial officer of the UUA. He said the religious witness events in Phoenix, Ariz., in July 2010 prompted leaders of the UUA to think about how they could apply their shareholder advocacy to the immigration issue. During the July 2010 protests, more than 150 Unitarian Universalists gathered to protest Arizona’s strict anti-illegal immigration laws, and 29 people, including UUA President Peter Morales, were arrested for their civil disobedience.

Brennan convened the first meeting of the group’s original investors in September 2010. Among the original group that crafted the initiative were officials with Walden Asset Management, Mercy Investment Services, Boston Common Asset Management, and New York City Comptroller John C. Liu.

The letter, signed by representatives of labor unions, investment firms, and faith-based investors, calls immigration reform a “human rights and business imperative.” It urges companies to speak out “in favor of a comprehensive immigration policy, including a pathway for currently unauthorized immigrants to earn legal status. Recognizing the historic and ongoing importance of immigrants in creating a prosperous U.S. economy, we are deeply troubled by the contentious public debate that is stifling progress on an issue that should rise above partisanship. A successful outcome is much more likely if major corporations express publicly their strong support for immigration reform.”

The investor group was eager to use their leverage as shareholders to push reform. One option frequently employed by activist shareholders—the resolution presented at the annual general meeting—was determined to be inappropriate for this application because of SEC limitations. To address what is primarily a public policy issue, the investors believed that direct appeals to corporate CEOs would be more effective. “Getting companies to speak out on public policy can create a model for what public debate might look like,” Brennan said. “The debate has gotten irrational.”

The original working group was inspired by an effort by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose office spearheaded the creation of the Partnership for a New American Economy, a bipartisan coalition of mayors and business leaders who are making the economic case for sensible immigration reform. “Humane, comprehensive immigration reform is necessary for New York City and the rest of our nation to remain competitive in the global marketplace,” said Liu, New York City comptroller.

In addition to being a business imperative, humane immigration policy is also a moral imperative, the signers urge. “Regardless of our faith, we share a moral responsibility to stop the suffering caused by the current immigration policy, especially to families,” said Brennan. “And as members of the investment community, we know the path to economic prosperity lies ultimately with the humane treatment of our workers.”

The letter calls effective and fair immigration reform a “shared responsibility of individuals, companies, and government.” It states that the major components of comprehensive reform should include: effective border control, employer accountability, improved processes for needed temporary and permanent workers, and a pathway to legal status for currently unauthorized residents. “We believe comprehensive reform must be developed and implemented consistent with the human rights of all concerned, value the integrity of families, and prevent immigrant workers—be they temporary or permanent—from being subjected to second-class employment standards,” the letter said.

The letter was sent to CEOs of major American companies, and it asked them to respond by March 16, to join the effort to advocate for humane immigration reform. “We call on corporate America to be a champion of sensible immigration reform,” said Heidi Soumerai, senior vice president for Walden Asset Management. “Reform is good for business, is rooted in a great source of America’s strength, and is simply the right thing to do.”

Read the original article here.

March 4, 2011

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) has spearheaded a group of more than sixty institutional investors who are demanding comprehensive reform of America's broken immigration system. These institutional investors, representing more than $145 billion in assets, are asking chief executive officers (CEOs) of leading companies in the United States to speak out for immigration policy reform and to say that repairing our current immigration system is an economic and human rights imperative.

This effort was proposed and initiated by UUA Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer Tim Brennan. Along with UUA, other leaders of the initiative include Heidi Soumerai of Walden Asset Management, Susan Makos of Mercy Investment Services, Inc., Dawn Wolfe of Boston Common Asset Management, and John Liu, Comptroller for the City of New York.

In a political climate marked by growing anti-immigrant rhetoric, the UUA and its fellow investors hope to interject a reasonable voice into the immigration debate. They cite the need for corporate leaders to support and protect the labor force on which they rely, and to speak out against exploitation and abuse of workers in industries that rely heavily on immigrants.

To achieve their goal, the group has contacted CEOs of major American corporations to advocate for a balanced approach to immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship and increased opportunities for immigrants to enter the US workforce. Signatories point out that this initiative is grounded in the desire for social justice and includes strong interfaith cooperation, while also focusing on their fiduciary responsibility.

"Regardless of our faith affiliation, we all share a moral responsibility to stop the suffering caused by the current immigration policy, especially to families," says Brennan, "and as members of the investment community, we know the path to economic prosperity lies ultimately with the humane treatment of our workers."

Despite their contributions to American society, all immigrants are at risk as a result of the current inflammatory rhetoric that engenders discrimination and incites violence. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights suggests that an alarming escalation of hate crimes against Hispanics through 2007 appears to correlate with the debate on immigration reform.

As of March 2009, there were an estimated 5 million children in the U.S. who either were undocumented immigrants themselves or were born in the U.S. with at least one undocumented immigrant parent. These children are extremely vulnerable to policies that could permanently separate their families. Moreover, the fear of exposure keeps undocumented workers, who are disproportionately represented in low-wage occupations, especially vulnerable to unscrupulous employers who can violate wage, safety, and discrimination laws with impunity.

"We know achieving justice in immigration reform will be challenging," says Brennan. "But I am honored to represent the UUA in this effort, which is so clearly grounded in our principles and social justice work."

Daisy Kincaid, Public Relations Director for the UUA, coordinated the creation and distribution of the press release for this effort. Read the letter sent to CEOs.

The work of the UUA is made possible by the generosity of individual donors and gifts to the Annual Program Fund. Please consider making a donation today to continue this important work.

                         

Walden Asset Management; Unitarian Universalist Association

BOSTON, March 2, 2011 -- 

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 60 institutional investors are calling on CEOs of the leading companies in the United States to speak out for immigration policy reform. They say that fixing our broken immigration system is an economic and human rights imperative.

In a political climate marked by growing anti-immigrant rhetoric, these investment leaders are pushing for a national immigration policy that provides the basis for long-term economic growth while addressing a crucial human rights issue. Leaders of the initiative include John Liu, Comptroller for the City of New York, as well as senior management from Mercy Investment Services, Inc., Boston Common Asset Management, Walden Asset Management, and the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA).

The group aims to interject a reasonable voice into the immigration debate, citing the need for greater corporate involvement in the reform process. Immigration reform is imperative, they say, to ensure a competitive U.S. labor force and a cessation of exploitation and abuse in industries that rely heavily on immigrant workers.

To achieve its goal, the group is asking CEOs of major American corporations to advocate for a balanced approach to immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship and increased opportunities for immigrants to enter the United States workforce. Further, CEOs are urged to participate in meaningful immigration discussion that transcends partisan politics and anti-immigrant rhetoric.

They cite the recently created Partnership for a New American Economy (www.renewoureconomy.org) as an example of how companies can contribute to the policy debate in a positive way. This is a bipartisan coalition led by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, with CEOs of Boeing, Marriot, Microsoft, News Corporation, and Walt Disney as co-chairs of the Partnership.

As of March 2009, there were an estimated 11.1 million unauthorized immigrants (down 8% from the 2007 peak), of whom 1.1 million are children. Four million more children were born in the U.S. and are living with at least one unauthorized immigrant parent. These children are vulnerable to policies that could undermine their ability to become contributing members of our society. Moreover, the fear of exposure keeps undocumented workers vulnerable to unscrupulous employers who violate wage, safety, and discrimination laws.

Read the original article here.

More Details: http://www.waldenassetmgmt.com/social/action/immigration_PR2011.pdf