The Business Roundtable, once again proving that they only like capitalism when the providers of capital are silent and powerless, has released a proposal to “improve” the shareholder proposal process. They say this is necessary because

the current shareholder proposal process is dominated by a limited number of individuals who file common proposals across a wide range of companies but own only a nominal amount of shares in the companies they target. These investors are pursuing special interests — many of which have no rational relationship to the creation of shareholder value and conflict with what an investor may view as material to making an investment decision. As a result, the current process is often used to promote the self-interest of a minority of shareholders, frequently at a significant cost to the company. 

The BRT’s claims that these “improvements” are necessary are unpersuasive, including the alleged “costs” of proposals and a completely inapposite analogy to “proxy access” eligibility. A non-binding proposal is in an entirely different category than nominating a director who may be elected to the board.

If the BRT would pay less attention to the proponents and more attention to the level of support the proposals get from a wide range of investors, they would understand that this is what is referred to as a market test. It is an outrage that they want to limit even further the shareholder proposal process, when even a unanimous vote in favor is advisory only. The best way for corporate executives to reduce the number of proposals and votes in favor is to adopt corporate governance best practices and develop better lines of communication with investors.

Source: Responsible Shareholder Engagement and Long-Term Value Creation | Business Roundtable