Commitments to Diversity Are Increasing. So Too Is the Litigation.

Companies have ramped up their pledges to increase diversity over the last few years, and while they largely may not see these programs as a risk, research shows there has been an uptick in litigation relating to diversity issues filed against U.S. companies since 2020. While experts highlight the many benefits companies reap from increasing… Continue reading Commitments to Diversity Are Increasing. So Too Is the Litigation.

Labor Issues Poised to Trigger More Oversight Lawsuits

Shareholder proposals aimed at labor-related issues have more than tripled over the last year, bringing with them additional risks for boards and companies. The growing spotlight on labor could bring battles that unfold on proxies or in court — and a recent Delaware Chancery Court case could further the trend. In 2022, shareholders across all… Continue reading Labor Issues Poised to Trigger More Oversight Lawsuits

Shareholders Ratchet Up Pressure on Labor-Related Proposals

Labor-related shareholder proposals are on the rise with initiatives aimed at working conditions more than tripling last year. These resolutions have received a high average rate of support, and investors are maintaining pressure on the subject. Therefore, sources say, directors should view these measures with prudence. …Shareholders filed at least 29 proposals in 2022 related… Continue reading Shareholders Ratchet Up Pressure on Labor-Related Proposals

Boards Continue Size Expansions to Bring in New Directors

Roughly a dozen S&P 500 companies expanded the size of their boards during the past three months in order to recruit new directors at companies including Danaher, General Mills, Medtronic and Discover Financial Services. The data comes from public company intelligence provider MyLogIQ. The expansion continues a trend of the past few years in which… Continue reading Boards Continue Size Expansions to Bring in New Directors

This Is the Lowest-Paying Company in America

For years, the debate over whether companies pay wages high enough to keep workers above the poverty levels has grown louder and louder. The fruits debate of this includes increases in minimum wages in many states. Additionally, companies like Amazon.com and Walmart have bumped up their lowest hourly pay in an attempt to address the… Continue reading This Is the Lowest-Paying Company in America

This Is the Highest Paying Company in America

Almost no one has heard of Alexandria Real Estate Equities, but it was the highest-paying company in America last year, based on an analysis of S&P 500 companies. The median worker pay for its 470 workers was $295,136, an increase of 90% from 2019.

The data on the pay figures comes from MyLogIQ, which provided it to The Wall Street Journal. One Alexandria Real Estate Equities chief executive officer made about 27 times what Stephen A. Richardson, co-CEO, did. Joel S. Marcus is executive board chair and founder.

Median Pay Shows How Companies Diverged in Their Covid-19 Response

Employees of Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST 0.45%) and Home Depot Inc. (HD -0.20%) saw demand for their services swell last year as homebound Americans stocked up on food and remodeled their homes. But Costco’s median worker made 16% less in 2020 than in the previous year while Home Depot’s made 21% more.

The divergence doesn’t mean one chain paid better than the other. It reflects how the pandemic and companies’ varied responses to it fundamentally altered the makeup of their workforces, fueling sometimes counterintuitive swings in median employee pay. (See what the median worker was paid at S&P 500 companies.)

Home Depot instituted a range of temporary pay increases to reward existing workers, lifting its pay structure. So did Costco, but that move was more than offset by a flood of new hires brought in to meet demand, tilting the balance of its workforce toward lower earners.

Salaries Stayed Mostly Level During Pandemic: Study

The Covid-19 crisis wreaked havoc on the global economy, disrupted supply chains and cost millions of people their jobs. But for those who remained employed throughout the pandemic, their salaries remained largely unaffected by the Great Disrupter of 2020.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the median pay at more than 30% of companies listed on the S&P 500 fluctuated by 5% or less. Meanwhile, the median pay increased by more than 5% at 184 companies and fell by more than 5% at 125 others.

The Journal analyzed pay at 492 companies using regulatory disclosures and data provided by public-company intelligence provider MyLogIQ and found that about 140 companies said their median worker earned $100,000 in 2020, while nearly 50 reported their median worker earned below $30,000. Among the companies whose median worker made more than $100,000 were Netflix and CSX Corp. The companies paying their median worker less than $30,000 were Starbucks and Amazon. The paper noted that the numbers at all four companies were similar to those reported in 2019.