Summary
Deere investors overwhelmingly rejected an anti-DEI resolution, with only 1.3% voting in favor.
The proposal, filed by the conservative National Legal and Policy Center, sought a report on racial and gender hiring statistics.
Deere, which recently distanced itself from LGBTQ+ pride events, faced scrutiny amid broader corporate retreats from DEI under pressure from the Trump administration.
However, investors at Apple and Costco have upheld DEI efforts, reflecting continued support for workplace diversity despite political opposition. Deere’s vote signals resistance to anti-DEI measures in the corporate sector.
fubarx@lemmy.ml 3 days ago
Many companies (including tech) started DEI policies in order to broaden their pool of candidates and make internal promotions more merit-based. The stated goal was to attract better candidates and make their services and products more in line with their customers. Made sense.
A few years later, many are capitulating to political pressures to drop those programs.
Thing is, the original problem still stands and these shareholders (who presumably mostly care about their investment) know this. That’s why they’re voting down these proposals. They could call Costco and Apple West Coast liberals, but not Deere. It’s just smart business.