{"id":384411,"date":"2021-12-22T03:11:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-22T00:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/exclusive-apple-investors-call-for-civil-rights-audit\/"},"modified":"2021-12-22T03:11:00","modified_gmt":"2021-12-22T00:11:00","slug":"exclusive-apple-investors-call-for-civil-rights-audit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/exclusive-apple-investors-call-for-civil-rights-audit\/","title":{"rendered":"#: Exclusive: Apple investors call for civil-rights audit"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a41f9789a14d\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a41f9789a14d\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/exclusive-apple-investors-call-for-civil-rights-audit\/#First-of-its-kind_shareholder_proposal_for_Apple_will_arrive_amid_discontent_among_workers_with_a_former_employee_telling_MarketWatch_that_%E2%80%98Apples_behavior_is_not_reflective_of_the_mission_and_values_they_portray_to_their_shareholders_and_the_public\" >First-of-its-kind shareholder proposal for Apple will arrive amid discontent among workers, with a former employee telling MarketWatch that \u2018Apple\u2019s behavior is not reflective of the mission and values they portray to their shareholders and the public\u2019<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/exclusive-apple-investors-call-for-civil-rights-audit\/#Levi_Sumagaysay\" >Levi Sumagaysay<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#: Exclusive: <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">App<\/a>le investors call for civil-rights audit<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"article__subhead\" itemprop=\"alternativeHeadline\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"First-of-its-kind_shareholder_proposal_for_Apple_will_arrive_amid_discontent_among_workers_with_a_former_employee_telling_MarketWatch_that_%E2%80%98Apples_behavior_is_not_reflective_of_the_mission_and_values_they_portray_to_their_shareholders_and_the_public\"><\/span>\n  First-of-its-kind shareholder proposal for Apple will arrive amid discontent among workers, with a former employee telling MarketWatch that \u2018Apple\u2019s behavior is not reflective of the mission and values they portray to their shareholders and the public\u2019<br \/>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"column column--full article__content\" role=\"region\" aria-label=\"article body\">\n<div class=\"article__side\">\n<div class=\"container--sticky not-active\">\n<div id=\"cx-next\" data-nosnippet>\n              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"js-article__body\" class=\"article__body article-wrap at16-col16 barrons-article-wrap\" itemprop=\"articleBody\" data-sbid=\"WP-MKTW-0000524324\" role=\"document\">\n<div class=\"barrons-article-ad-wrapper\">\n<div data-track=\"barrons-article-ad-wrap\" class=\"barrons-article-ad sticky_item\">\n<div class=\"barrons-main-article-ad-target sticky_target body_ad\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-layout=\"\n                inline\" data-layout-mobile=\"\" class=\"\n          media-object\n          type-InsetArticleReader\n              \n              inline\n  article__inset\n          article__inset--type-InsetArticleReader\n              article__inset--inline\n  \"><\/p>\n<div class=\"media-object-article-reader\">\n<div class=\"audioplayer\" data-sbid=\"WP-MKTW-0000524324\" role=\"region\" aria-label=\"Listen to Article\" tabindex=\"-1\" id=\"articlereader\" data-show-title=\"false\" data-theme=\"wsj-article-reader\" data-show-header=\"false\" data-show-subscribe=\"false\" data-ads-enabled=\"true\" data-save-publication=\"false\">\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>       Apple Inc. has declared its commitment to racial and gender equity, but it is now facing a shareholder call for a civil-rights audit amid employee controversies and slow progress in diversifying its workforce.<\/p>\n<p> The first-of-its-kind proposal for Apple<br \/>\n        AAPL,<br \/>\n        <bg-quote field=\"percentchange\" format=\"0,000.00%\" channel=\"\/zigman2\/quotes\/202934861\/composite\" class=\"positive\">+1.91%<\/bg-quote><br \/>\n       comes on the heels of recent <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> that the tech giant is <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2021\/12\/14\/tech\/apple-labor-department-investigation\/index.html\" class=\"icon none\">being investigated<\/a> by the U.S. Labor Department for alleged harassment of and retaliation against an employee who raised concerns about workplace safety, as well as other formal complaints from former employees. It is one of several governance- and sustainability-related proposals the company\u2019s investors are expected to face at its annual <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> meeting in 2022.<\/p>\n<div class=\"paywall\">\n       The shareholder groups that filed the proposal say the company reportedly <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2021\/8\/9\/22609687\/apple-pay-equity-employee-surveys-protected-activity\" class=\"icon none\">shut down employee-run surveys<\/a> on pay equity, and also mentioned the hiring (and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/recode\/2021\/5\/13\/22435266\/apple-employees-petition-controversial-antonio-garcia-martinez-new-hire-departure\" class=\"icon none\">subsequent firing<\/a> after employee protests) of a manager who had \u201ca history of misogynistic and racist commentary.\u201d In addition, the alliance of three shareholders says that for all of Apple\u2019s publicly stated commitments to racial justice and equity \u2014 including $100 million for a racial justice initiative after the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 \u2014 the company\u2019s progress in diversifying its own ranks has been negligible.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is unclear how Apple plans to address racial inequality in its workforce,\u201d the proposal, shared exclusively with MarketWatch, says. \u201cApple currently has no Hispanics and only one Black member on its executive team.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cher Scarlett, a former software engineer on Apple\u2019s security team who left the company in November after filing complaints with the National Labor Relations Board over her allegations of Apple\u2019s actions against employee-wage surveys, told MarketWatch this week that \u201cApple\u2019s behavior is not reflective of the mission and values they portray to their shareholders and the public.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>See: Apple reportedly banned a Slack channel employees created to discuss pay<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>SOC Investment Group teamed up with the Service Employees International Union and Trillium Asset Management on the proposal; the group filed their proposal in the fall but only recently found out it will actually be on the proxy. The SEIU\u2019s pension fund\u2019s holdings include Apple, while SOC owns 21.9 million shares of the company and Trillium said it owned more than 1 million shares of Apple as of the end of the third quarter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re spending money on racial and mostly philanthropic initiatives and don\u2019t really address the company\u2019s own policies,\u201d Dieter Waizenegger, executive director of SOC, told MarketWatch. \u201cThe chief diversity officer is not in the C-suite, and there\u2019s a really low percentage of Black officers in the company. Whatever the company\u2019s doing, it seems like there\u2019s a gap.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 2014, Apple\u2019s leadership was 3% Black and 6% Hispanic. In 2020, those numbers rose to 4% Black and 8% Hispanic, according to the company\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.apple.com\/diversity\/\" class=\"icon none\">diversity report<\/a>. Its tech workforce was 6% Black and 7% Hispanic in 2014. In 2020, Black employee representation in its tech workforce remained at 6%, while the Hispanic percentage inched up to 8%.<\/p>\n<p>Apple has not announced the date of its annual general meeting, but it is expected to release its proxy in January and hold the meeting soon afterward. An Apple spokesman said the company had no comment on the proposal.<\/p>\n<div id=\"cx-membership-tile\"><\/div>\n<p>Trillium\u2019s chief advocacy officer, Jonas Kron, said Apple and other companies generally emphasize their diversity initiatives, employee resource groups and financial commitments. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s all great and commendable,\u201d Kron said. \u201cBut it doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t have blind spots, or that they have some sort of process for ensuring accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He likens a civil-rights audit to the financial audits that are required of all companies. \u201cGiven the importance of gender and racial equality, having this level of review is not only appropriate but highly beneficial,\u201d Kron said.<\/p>\n<p>Prompted by the racial reckoning that was sparked by the police murder of George Floyd in 2020 and subsequent statements of corporate commitment to <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a>-justice issues, shareholders submitted what was believed to be a record number of proposals related to racial equity in the 2021 proxy season. Kron said the percentage of votes for those types of proposals were high and could continue to rise.<\/p>\n<p><strong>See: Companies declared \u2018Black lives matter\u2019 last year, and now they\u2019re being asked to prove it<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As for civil-rights audits specifically, they have had varying degrees of success at other high-profile companies such as Starbucks Corp.<br \/>\n        SBUX,<br \/>\n        <bg-quote field=\"percentchange\" format=\"0,000.00%\" channel=\"\/zigman2\/quotes\/207508890\/composite\" class=\"positive\">+2.11%<\/bg-quote><span>,<\/span><br \/>\n       Facebook parent company Meta Platforms Inc.<br \/>\n        FB,<br \/>\n        <bg-quote field=\"percentchange\" format=\"0,000.00%\" channel=\"\/zigman2\/quotes\/205064656\/composite\" class=\"positive\">+2.69%<\/bg-quote><br \/>\n        and Airbnb Inc.<br \/>\n        ABNB,<br \/>\n        <bg-quote field=\"percentchange\" format=\"0,000.00%\" channel=\"\/zigman2\/quotes\/222990650\/composite\" class=\"positive\">+5.36%<\/bg-quote><span>.<\/span>\n       <\/p>\n<p>A 2016 civil-rights audit at Airbnb, spurred by claims of bias, led to the company\u2019s establishment of a non-discrimination policy, while civil-rights auditors this year sharply criticized Facebook for putting civil rights considerations in the \u201cback seat.\u201d After a famous incident in which two Black men waiting for a business meeting were arrested for refusing to leave a Starbucks in Philadelphia in 2018, the coffee chain has since had three civil-rights audits that have examined its diversity, equity and inclusion practices and policies as they affect customers, employees and communities. <\/p>\n<p><strong>For more: Starbucks\u2019 muddled \u2018community culture\u2019 was a contributing factor in arrest of two black men<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Although the latest audit released in the spring lauded Starbucks for keeping its baristas employed despite store closures at the beginning of the pandemic, some locations are now seeing some worker discontent. Earlier this month, a Starbucks in Buffalo, N.Y., became the first store to unionize, and other locations are hoping to do so as well.<\/p>\n<p>SOC\u2019s Waizenegger pointed to the Starbucks unionization push as proof that no matter how popular a company is, how high investor returns are or what steps they\u2019ve said to have taken to treat their employees or customers fairly, \u201cthings can happen quickly sometimes. Even very successful, well-regarded companies have to be mindful of that.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s where civil-rights audits could make a difference, he said, and Kron agreed. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cA company shouldn\u2019t wait for controversies to arise to do a racial-justice audit,\u201d Kron said, adding that investors need not wait to ask for an audit, either.<\/p>\n<p>Apple stock has risen about 28% so far this year, while the S&amp;P 500 Index<br \/>\n        SPX,<br \/>\n        <bg-quote field=\"percentchange\" format=\"0,000.00%\" channel=\"\/zigman2\/quotes\/210599714\/realtime\" class=\"positive\">+1.78%<\/bg-quote><br \/>\n       is up about 23% year to date.<\/p>\n<p><strong>See: Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan urge shareholders to vote against racial-equity audits<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>More: <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/marketwatch.com\/story\/citi-reverses-course-on-racial-equity-audit-will-look-at-1-billion-pledge-made-after-death-of-george-floyd-11634938443?mod=article_inline\" class=\"icon none\">Citi reverses course on racial-equity audit, will look at $1 billion pledge made after death of George Floyd<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"byline article__byline\">\n<p>    <span>By<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author mobile-scrim hasMenu\" data-scrim='{\"type\":\"author\",\"header\":\"Levi Sumagaysay\",\"subhead\":\"The Wall Street Journal\",\"list\":[{\"type\":\"link\",\"icon\":\"bio\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/author\/levi-sumagaysay\",\"text\":\"Biography\"},{\"type\":\"link\",\"icon\":\"twitter\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/levisu\",\"text\":\"@levisu\"},{\"type\":\"link\",\"icon\":\"email\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/news\/mailto:levi.sumagaysay@marketwatch.com\",\"text\":\"levi.sumagaysay@marketwatch.com\"}]}' itemscope itemprop=\"author\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Person\">\n<h4 itemprop=\"name\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Levi_Sumagaysay\"><\/span>Levi Sumagaysay<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/news\/story.asp?guid=%7B20C05575-04D4-B545-7800-24FC0FB15BDC%7D&#038;siteid=rss&#038;rss=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#: Exclusive: Apple investors call for civil-rights audit&#8221; First-of-its-kind shareholder proposal for Apple will arrive amid discontent among workers, with a former employee telling MarketWatch that \u2018Apple\u2019s behavior is not reflective of the mission and values they portray to their shareholders and the public\u2019 Apple Inc. has declared its commitment to racial and gender equity,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":384412,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/images.mktw.net\/im-456263\/social","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-384411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=384411"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384411\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/384412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=384411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=384411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=384411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}