Time for accountability at Tim's

Pandemic will make it harder for parent company to ignore worker rights proposal this time around

Andrew Willis 1 May, 2020 | 1:19AM
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Editor's note: Read the latest on how the coronavirus is rattling the markets and what you can do to navigate it.

Andrew Willis: One thing that COVID-19 has taught us is that not all workers are created equal, and to avoid finding itself on the wrong side of history, Burger King and Tim Hortons parent company Restaurant Brands International has to prioritize supporting frontline workers.

The Shareholders Association of Research and Education, or SHARE, recently filed four shareholder proposals encouraging the improvement of company performance around Decent Work and Human Rights for employees at McDonald’s (MCD), Dollarama (DOL), Brookfield Asset Management (BAM.A), and Restaurant Brands International (QSR).

And for the most part, they received positive responses, having already worked with McDonald's and Dollarama on issues around workplace health and safety, respect, diversity and inclusion. But when it comes to Restaurant Brands International, SHARE is worried they’ll get radio silence, again.

A similar proposal filed last year with the Atkinson Charitable Foundation, that received a majority vote from independent shareholders, was ignored. SHARE says this is unacceptable, especially in a time when supporting things like paid sick days, appropriate protective equipment or sustainable salaries should be far from an afterthought. Tp avoid this with Restaurant Brands, SHARE is recommending shareholders withhold their vote from Alexandre Behring, the chair of RBI’s nominating and corporate governance committee.

While these proposals are only advisory in nature, they’re well-founded while social issues are centre stage right now in the world of responsible investing.

For Morningstar, I’m Andrew Willis. 

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Securities Mentioned in Article

Security NamePriceChange (%)Morningstar Rating
Brookfield Corp Registered Shs -A- Limited Vtg59.81 USD-0.37
Dollarama Inc142.04 CAD1.30Rating
McDonald's Corp298.98 USD-0.16Rating
Restaurant Brands International Inc97.65 CAD-0.13Rating

About Author

Andrew Willis

Andrew Willis  is Senior Editor at Morningstar Canada. He previously produced content for Fidelity Investments and finance industry events for Euromoney Institutional Investor and has written in the past for Thomson Reuters and CNN. Follow him on Twitter @Andrew_M_Willis.

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