New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli is using the state’s pension fund in an attempt to force several public companies to conduct a racial equity audit.
DiNapoli sent shareholder proposals to five companies — Amazon, Chipotle, Dollar General, Dollar Tree and Match.com — asking the companies to hire a third party to analyze the companies’ impact on civil rights, diversity and equity. The proposals ask that civil rights groups and employees share input on inclusion issues.
DiNapoli manages the state’s $268 billion pension fund and is an influential investor. Last year, he filed a similar racial equity proposal with Amazon investors, which narrowly failed.
Starbucks, Airbnb and Citigroup are among a string of major companies that have launched racial equity audits. Airbnb’s audit resulted in eliminating users who refused to accept a nondiscrimination agreement.
