TJX shareholders call for abortion access report at annual meeting

Photo | Grant Welker TJX Cos. is the parent company of TJ Maxx.

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By Alexander MacDougall

At the annual shareholder meeting for TJX Cos., Inc., investors in the Framingham-based retail parent company pressed for a litany of social policies the company could take for its employees, including a report on abortion rights and a paid sick leave policy for all employees of the company.

The votes at the June 7 meeting, while falling short of the majority needed to approve the proposals, are still significant – 30% of voters voted in favor of the reproductive rights proposal, while 33% voted in favor of paid sick leave policy.

The move for reproductive rights policies have been in the spotlight since a U.S. Supreme Court draft ruling that would overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked earlier this year, which would end federal guarantees on the right to an abortion.

The proposal for TJX, which was filed by Boston-based Trillium Asset Management, requested TJX publish a report by the end of the year detailing any known and any potential risks and costs to the company caused by enacted or proposed state policies severely restricting reproductive rights, according to a June 7 filing put out by the company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

In the same filing, TJX’s board of directors said it unanimously supported voting against the measure, saying employees already had sufficient health coverage.

“TJX’s health plans offer a comprehensive suite of reproductive healthcare benefits to the company’s benefits-eligible associates, including coverage related to contraception, infertility, and abortion,” the company stated. “We believe that the benefits we offer to our large, broad, and diverse workforce help support an inclusive environment.”