Praxis co-files proposal at Amazon on living wages

In December, Praxis Mutual Funds joined several other investors to co-file a shareholder proposal at Amazon on living wages.

The proposal asks the Amazon board of directors to oversee the preparation of a living wage report to provide investors with information needed to determine how the company is complying with international human rights standards and assessing systemic risks stemming from growing income inequality.

Specifically, the proposal asks that the report should be updated and published annually and include:

• The number of Amazon workers paid less than a living wage, broken down by full-time employees, part-time employees, and contingent workers;
• By how much aggregate compensation paid to workers in each category falls short of the aggregate amount they would be paid if they received a living wage; and
• The living wage benchmark/methodology used for these disclosures; Amazon is not required to use a particular living wage calculator or methodology.

This proposal builds on the work Praxis has begun in advocating for living wages. We believe that paying a sub-living wage to workers exposes companies to significant financial and reputational risks and view paying a living wage as critical to helping close the racial, gender, and income divides causing so much social and economic unrest in the U.S.

Praxis advocates for living wages both for the well-being of workers and for the long-term profitability of the company. It reflects our core values of respecting the dignity and value of all people and demonstrating a concern for justice in a global society.