By Jana Kasperkevic

Thanks to a no-action letter from the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Walmart was allowed to block a shareholder vote on a resolution that would require it to disclose any gender pay gap. The resolution was not included in the company’s proxy statement, released yesterday, which addressed its position on resolutions for the company’s annual meeting, to be held in June.

A proposal that the company disclose pay of Walmart employees by gender was submitted to the company on 18 December by Cynthia Murray, who has worked for Walmart as an associate for 15 years. Murray owns almost 70 shares of the common stock and belongs to Our Walmart, a workers’ rights organization of Walmart employees that has been lobbying for higher wages, better schedules, and a right to form a union.

If her resolution had been voted on by the shareholders and passed, it would have required Walmart to disclose the proportion of men and women in each pay grade and salary range, the average hours worked by men and women and the average hourly wages of men and women.

Read More  Walmart shareholders will not get to vote on gender pay gap proposal | Business | The Guardian.