PROXY VOTING
Proxy Vote Alerts
If you are an investment professional or a pension fund trustee, to receive AFL-CIO shareholder alerts regarding proxy voting, including updates to the AFL-CIO Key Votes Survey.
Proxy Voting Guidelines
The AFL-CIO Proxy Voting Guidelines have been developed to serve pension fund trustees as a guide for voting their funds' shareholder proxies. The goal of the guidelines is to assist trustees in exercising their ownership rights in ways that achieve long-term value by supporting important shareholder initiatives on corporate accountability. These initiatives include board of directors proposals, corporate governance, proposals concerning employee relations, executive compensation and corporate responsibility issues. The Proxy Voting Guidelines also provide an in-depth discussion of fiduciary duties of plan trustees described under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).
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Key Votes Survey
The AFL-CIO Key Votes Survey rates the voting practices of investment managers by surveying how they voted on proposals representing a worker-owner view of value. This worker-owner view emphasizes management accountability and good corporate governance. These proposals are assessed by the AFL-CIO Proxy Voting Guidelines and managers are ranked by the percentage of votes cast in accordance with the guidelines.
2010 AFL-CIO Key Votes Scorecard
2009 AFL-CIO Key Votes Survey
2009 Investment Manager Voting Records
2008 AFL-CIO Key Votes Survey
2008 Investment Manager Voting Records
AFL-CIO Proxy Votes
See how the AFL-CIO voted on shareholder proposals, director elections and executive compensation plans in recent years:
AFL-CIO Reserve Rund, 2009
AFL-CIO Staff Retirement Fund, 2009
AFL-CIO Reserve Fund, 2008
AFL-CIO Staff Retirement Fund, 2008
About the AFL-CIO's Proxy Votes
Facts about the AFL-CIO's Proxy Votes describes the AFL-CIO's proxy voting procedure.
Mutual Fund Proxy Votes
While mutual funds ought to cast these votes in the best interests of their investors, mutual fund firms can have an economic interest in voting with management even if such votes may not be in the interest of fund investors. This conflict of interest stems from mutual fund firms’ desire to sell lucrative 401(k) management and other financial services to the same companies at which they vote proxies on behalf of mutual fund investors. AFSCME, a nationwide union for public employees, and The Corporate Library produce a report each year examining the proxy voting of mutual funds. These reports show many mutual fund companies have been enabling companies to offer extravagant CEO salaries.
Compensation Accomplices, 2008 (PDF)
Failed Fiduciaries, 2007 (PDF)
Enablers of Excess, 2006 (PDF)
