# Proxy Votes



## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

Well I just voted on the Walmart proxies.
It's interesting to read the shareholder proposals, and management responses.


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## like_to_retire (Oct 9, 2016)

Don't you think that the majority either don't vote or usually vote with the recommendations?

ltr


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## Ponderling (Mar 1, 2013)

I usually vote with management, but read the proposals. The one I parted with mgmt recommendations was to recommend having an independent board chair as a new requirement.


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## Tostig (Nov 18, 2020)

I used to vote with management recommendations.

Then after reading several of managements' reasons for rejecting shareholder proposals, I started voting opposite of all management recommendations.

1) All nominees - against;

2) Auditor - against;

3) Executive compensation - against;

4) Individual Shareholder proposals and resolutions - for

5) Say on Pay - against


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

I often vote for the shareholder proposals. I usually support the Board nominees but like an independent chairman.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

kcowan said:


> I often vote for the shareholder proposals. I usually support the Board nominees but like an independent chairman.


I like an independant chairman, I almost always vote against shareholder proposals, they seem to be loaded with racist social justice garbage lately.

Sorry I just don't care about peoples race or gender. If they do a good job, good. I don't believe that race or gender is a particularly effective predictor of performance for most tasks.
It might come into play for the most gross performance measures, but those can easily be measured with an appropriate test.


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## Tostig (Nov 18, 2020)

MrMatt said:


> I like an independant chairman, I almost always vote against shareholder proposals, they seem to be loaded with racist social justice garbage lately.
> 
> Sorry I just don't care about peoples race or gender. If they do a good job, good. I don't believe that race or gender is a particularly effective predictor of performance for most tasks.
> It might come into play for the most gross performance measures, but those can easily be measured with an appropriate test.


Then you should also be disappointed with the Boards' reasons for rejecting those proposals. They don't reject them because they think like you and consider them garbage. They reject them because they claim they are already addressing those issues.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

Tostig said:


> Then you should also be disappointed with the Boards' reasons for rejecting those proposals. They don't reject them because they think like you and consider them garbage. They reject them because they claim they are already addressing those issues.


Sometimes.

Other times they say they aim to be a meritocracy and racism isn't an appropriate management strategy.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

Having been there, I know that executive salary reviews are a sham.

Making a statement on ecology issues is valid and covered in usual corporate speak.

Yes some of them are pretty silly.


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## Numbersman61 (Jan 26, 2015)

kcowan said:


> Having been there, I know that executive salary reviews are a sham.
> 
> Making a statement on ecology issues is valid and covered in usual corporate speak.
> 
> Yes some of them are pretty silly.


As a Former Board member who served on the Compensation Committee of a public corporation, i disagree with the suggestion that executive salary reviews are a sham.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

Numbersman61 said:


> As a Former Board member who served on the Compensation Committee of a public corporation, i disagree with the suggestion that executive salary reviews are a sham.


As a former CEO, I knew the consultants the comp committee hired would come up with the right solution and they did.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

kcowan said:


> As a former CEO, I knew the consultants the comp committee hired would come up with the right solution and they did.


If you don't know the people to come up with the right solution, you aren't a good CEO.


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

Or you are already happy with your compensation package. 

The management discussion, details and shareholder proposals/management responses have always been entertaining for me. It made it easy to spot how out of lunch the claim that a recent CEO severance was a record when about eight years previously, an ousted CEO was paid about five times as much for nine months tenure.


Cheers

*PS*
As life has become busier, I haven't been reading them as much or voting.


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