Published 09-30-03
Submitted by International Brotherhood of Teamsters
The proposal calls for the Board to adopt annual elections for all directors, replacing the company's current practice of Board members serving staggered terms and facing election by shareholders only every three years.
"It's no more business as usual at FedEx," said C. Thomas Keegel, Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer. "An overwhelming majority of shareholders have voted for Board accountability and are watching to see if the Board adopts this important reform."
Representing the Teamsters General Fund at the FedEx Annual Meeting, Louis Malizia, Teamsters Assistant Director of Corporate Affairs, questioned whether the company would broaden its definition of independence for directors serving on the company's Board. As it stands now, the Board includes "independent" directors who are former executives of FedEx, including Peter Willmott, the former President and COO of FedEx, who currently serves as the Chairman of the Board's Nominating and Governance Committee and on the Board's Audit Committee. The company's response was, "No."
"Having true independent directors helps assure investors that corporate policies are made in the best interests of the company rather than the best interests of executives," said Malizia.
Through its pension and benefit funds, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters has roughly $100 billion invested in the U.S. equity market.
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