John Deere & Co.’s shareholders are reaffirming the company’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, voting overwhelmingly against a resolution targeting its DEI efforts, according to a report by USA Today.
The resolution was filed by the National Legal and Policy Center, a conservative-leaning Washington think tank, said the report. The vote makes the farm equipment manufacturing company the latest organization to land in the cross-hairs of anti-DEI advocacy groups.
During a webcast of its annual meeting, executives at the company said only 1.3 per cent of votes cast were in support of a resolution calling on the company to report on racial and gender hiring statistics “to prove it does not practice discrimination,” said the report. It also noted two other resolutions aimed at restricting social action by John Deere received similarly low levels of support.
Read: Costco defends its diversity policies as other U.S. companies scale back
A slew of organizations have come up against similar efforts aimed at dismantling DEI efforts in the private sector. In just the past few months, Apple Inc.’s shareholders voted in defense of the company’s DEI policies, as did Costco Wholesale Corp.’s shareholders. Other companies have announced efforts to scale back DEI initiatives, including Ford Motor Co., Lowe’s Companies Inc., McDonald’s Corp., Target Corp. and Walmart Inc.
John Deere’s shareholder vote stands in contrast to its earlier message from last year when, according to a report by CNN, it announced it will no longer sponsor “social or cultural awareness” events, seemingly be distancing itself from diversity and inclusion measures. In a statement posted to its X account, the organization had said it would audit all training materials “to ensure the absence of socially motivated messages while being in compliance with federal and local laws.”
Read: Ford, Lowes among employers pulling back from DEI policies