Dollar General Corp: Report Risks from State Restrictions on Reproductive Rights

WHEREAS: Employees’ productivity and performance are linked to their health and wellness.[1] Employees struggling with illness or medical-related stress are less able to perform well. Poor employee healthcare access may undermine Dollar General’s operations and slow the implementation of its growth strategy.

Compared to other high-income nations, Americans have the lowest life expectancy, the highest death rates from avoidable causes and treatable conditions, and the highest rates of people with multiple chronic conditions.[2] According to a 2024 survey, 48% of insured adults worry about affording their monthly health insurance premium, and 21% still view costs as a barrier to getting the health care they need.[3]

Dollar General operates more than 20,000 stores nationwide, 76% in states where abortion is illegal or highly restricted, including Tennessee, where Dollar General is headquartered. These additional restrictions in access to healthcare have been linked to increased maternal mortality and morbidity, alongside reduced access to all forms of care.[4]

A survey published in February 2023 found that 76% of more than 2,000 current and future physicians, regardless of specialization, would not apply to work or train in states with abortion restrictions. For women’s health, the impact is greater; after Idaho’s abortion ban took effect, nearly 20% of its obstetricians left the state and two hospitals closed their obstetrics programs.[5] In 2023, states with abortion bans saw a decline of 10.5% of medical school seniors applying for OB-GYN residency.[6]

Dollar General’s workforce is 66% female[7]. Potential harms to Dollar General from state-specific healthcare access restrictions include: amplified challenges in recruiting and retaining employees, higher employee mortality and health challenges, and higher healthcare costs for employees and the company. The need to ensure its employees are well cared for is amplified as Dollar General considers offering healthcare services.[8]

It is best practice for companies to affirm that they are surveying or actively tracking the sufficiency of health care that employees have access to, including employees’ sentiment on the timeliness, breadth, and quality of this care. Employee-focused employers are closely monitoring and responding to their employees' reduced healthcare access and healthcare quality.

BE IT RESOLVED: Shareholders request that the Board of Directors issue a public report, omitting confidential information and at reasonable expense, on the sufficiency of employees’ access to timely, quality healthcare, and discussing the Company’s strategy to ameliorate any insufficiencies identified.

SUPPORTING STATEMENT: Proponent suggests this analysis includes consideration of strategies beyond legal compliance that the company may deploy to minimize or mitigate the risks associated with the lack of access to quality healthcare.

[1] https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/wellness-productivity-link-.aspx

[2] https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2023/jan/us-health-care-global-perspective-2022

[3] https://www.kff.org/health-costs/issue-brief/americans-challenges-with-health-care-costs

[4] https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/04/18/human-rights-crisis-abortion-united-states-after-dobbs

[5] https://apnews.com/article/idaho-abortion-ban-doctors-leaving-f34e901599f5eabed56ae96599c0e5c2

[6] https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/analysis-pro-life-movement-abortion-maternal-health-healthbent-column/

[7] https://brand-studio.fortune.com/dollar-general/how-dollar-generals-investment-in-female-talent-pays-dividends-now-and-in-the-future/?prx_t=YHEIAAAAAAjQ8RA

[8] https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220728005304/en/Dollar-General-Announces-Healthcare-Advisory-Panel

Resolution Details

Company: Dollar General Corp.

Lead Filers: As You Sow and Amalgamated Bank

Year: 2025