Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway rejects call for silence on hot-button issues

By Jonathan Stempel

乔纳森·斯坦普尔

(Reuters) – Berkshire Hathaway Inc, run by billionaire Warren Buffett, on Friday urged shareholders to reject proposals that it avoid discussing hot-button social and political issues, and competing proposals that it disclose more about its climate change and diversity efforts.

（路透社）——由亿万富翁沃伦巴菲特经营的伯克希尔哈撒韦公司周五敦促股东拒绝关于避免讨论热点社会和政治问题的提议，以及关于披露更多气候变化和多元化努力的竞争提议。

The Omaha, Nebraska-based company also urged the rejection for a second straight year of a shareholder proposal that Buffett, 92, let someone else be chairman, while remaining chief executive.

这家总部位于内布拉斯加州奥马哈的公司还连续第二年敦促拒绝股东提议，即 92 岁的巴菲特让其他人担任董事长，同时保留首席执行官。

Berkshires recommendations were disclosed in its annual proxy filing, ahead of its May 6 annual meeting.

在 5 月 6 日的年度会议之前，伯克希尔的建议在其年度代理文件中披露。

It also said Buffett received $401,589 in compensation for 2022, up 8% from 2021, comprising his usual $100,000 salary plus personal and home security.

它还表示，巴菲特在 2022 年获得了 401,589 美元的补偿，比 2021 年增长了 8%，其中包括他通常的 100,000 美元工资以及个人和家庭保障。

While Buffett‘s salary is low, his 15.6% Berkshire stake comprises most of his $101.6 billion net worth, which Forbes magazine said makes him the world’s sixth-richest person.

虽然巴菲特的薪水很低，但他 15.6% 的伯克希尔股份构成了他 1016 亿美元净资产的大部分，《福布斯》杂志称，这使他成为世界第六大富豪。

The proposal to restrict Berkshires speech came from the American Conservative Values ETF, which said Berkshire and its dozens of operating units should “avoid supporting or taking a public position” on controversial social and political issues unless their businesses required it.

限制伯克希尔言论的提议来自美国保守价值观 etf，该基金表示，伯克希尔及其数十个运营部门应在有争议的社会和政治问题上“避免支持或采取公开立场”，除非其业务需要。

In opposing the proposal, Berkshire said its decentralized structure lets those units operate with minimal involvement from Buffett and his top lieutenants, and it was “inconsistent with Berkshires culture” to dictate what not to say.

伯克希尔反对这项提议，称其分散的结构让这些部门在巴菲特和他的高级副手最少参与的情况下运作，并且“不符合伯克希尔的文化”来规定什么不能说。

Shareholder proposals that Buffett opposes normally fail by big margins because he still controls 31.5% of Berkshires voting power, despite having donated more than $46 billion of Berkshire stock since 2006.

尽管自 2006 年以来已捐出价值超过 460 亿美元的伯克希尔股票，但巴菲特反对的股东提案通常会以大幅失败告终，因为他仍控制着伯克希尔 31.5% 的投票权。

Berkshire‘s more than $60 billion of stock repurchases since the end of 2019 helps preserve Buffett’s voting power.

伯克希尔哈撒韦自 2019 年底以来进行了超过 600 亿美元的股票回购，这有助于保持巴菲特的投票权。

Proposals last year on climate change and diversity won support from only about one-quarter of votes cast, while just 11% supported replacing Buffett as chairman.

去年关于气候变化和多样性的提案仅获得约四分之一的选票支持，而只有 11% 的人支持更换巴菲特担任董事长。

The proxy filing also said Vice Chairmen Greg Abel and Ajit Jain, who respectively oversee Berkshires non-insurance and insurance operations, were in 2022 each awarded $19 million for a fourth straight year.

委托书还称，分别负责伯克希尔非保险和保险业务的副董事长格雷格·阿贝尔和阿吉特·杰恩在 2022 年连续第四年分别获得 1900 万美元的奖励。

Buffett sets their pay. Abel would become chief executive and Buffetts son Howard Buffett would become non-executive chairman if Warren Buffett could not continue.

巴菲特设定了他们的薪酬。如果沃伦巴菲特不能继续工作，阿贝尔将成为首席执行官，而巴菲特的儿子霍华德巴菲特将成为非执行董事长。

Berkshires businesses include Geico car insurance, the BNSF railroad, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, Dairy Queen, Fruit of the Loom and many others.

berkshires 的业务包括 geico 汽车保险、bnsf 铁路、berkshire hathaway energy、dairy queen、fruit of the loom 等。

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Richard Chang)

（乔纳森·斯坦普尔纽约报道；理查德·张编辑）