WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (April 15, 2019) – California State Teachers’ Retirement System announced that trustee Sharon Hendricks was elected to the PRI Association Board. As an independent organization, PRI encourages investors to use responsible investment to enhance returns and better manage risks.
The Teachers’ Retirement Board has a fiduciary duty to treat proxy votes as plan assets. This activity serves our core mission of using our vote to enhance shareholder returns and improve the financial markets for all investors.
CalSTRS believes the execution of proxies is an important fundamental shareholder right, and staff always seeks to exercise our rights in a manner consistent with the interests of our beneficiaries, California public teachers. We use our proxy votes to support certain corporate directors or shareholder proposals to introduce necessary changes that will enhance the company’s long-term shareholder value.
In 2016-17, CalSTRS voted on more than 79,782 proposals at 7,889 meetings held by companies in our Global Equity portfolio. The 79,782 proposals were a 3.6 percent increase from the 76,995 proposals voted in 2015-16, and the 7,889 meetings considered were slightly less than the 7,932 meetings considered in 2015-16.
In 2016-17, staff voted on 26,488 proposals at 2,963 meetings held by companies in the domestic public equity portfolio. Compared to 2015-16, the number of proposals and meetings was 5.6 percent higher and 1.6 percent lower, respectively.
In 2016-17, staff voted on 53,294 proposals at 4,926 meetings held by companies in our non-domestic equity portfolio. Compared to 2015-16, the number of proposals and meetings was 2.7 percent higher and 0.1 percent lower, respectively.
For fiscal year 2017-18, CalSTRS will continue to vote our proxies in accordance with our Corporate Governance Principles and in a manner that aligns with the interests of our beneficiaries, California public teachers.
