correction-instar-pri-letter-2024-accepted-869f7d740909a499.pdf

The Private Equity Stakeholder Project and United Farm Workers argue that Instar Asset Management has violated the PRI's integrity by ignoring labor abuses at Windmill Farms, including wage theft, gender discrimination, and union-busting, despite Instar's public ESG policies.

• The authors request that the PRI Board of Directors delist Instar Asset Management under the "Serious Violation Policy," arguing that the firm's actions put the "integrity of the PRI and the initiative at risk."
• Instar acquired Ostrom Mushroom Farm in February 2023, subsequently operating it as Windmill Farms; the authors claim Instar failed to implement ESG policies despite being aware of the farm's existing problems.
• Windmill Farms and its predecessor, Ostrom, have faced multiple legal and regulatory actions, including a $3.4 million settlement in May 2023 for a civil rights lawsuit regarding gender discrimination against domestic farmworkers.
• The U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division found that Ostrom Mushroom Farms violated the H-2A temporary agricultural program by failing to provide required wages, cooking facilities, or three meals per day, resulting in $59,850 in recovered wages and $74,642 in penalties.
• Workers at Windmill Farms allege ongoing labor abuses, including the use of mandatory arbitration agreements to block lawsuits, harassment of union supporters, and the implementation of production quotas used for discrimination.
• The authors argue that Instar's actions directly contradict its own ESG policy, which claims the firm avoids companies that "do not respect or follow human rights" or engage in "discriminatory practices."
• Instar has allegedly refused to engage with a wide array of stakeholders, including the United Farm Workers (UFW) and various Washington State legislators, despite multiple requests for meetings to address labor issues.

APA

Private Equity Stakeholder Project (2024). correction-instar-pri-letter-2024-accepted-869f7d740909a499.pdf. https://pestakeholder.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Correction-Instar-PRI-Letter-2024-accepted.pdf

Chicago

Private Equity Stakeholder Project. correction-instar-pri-letter-2024-accepted-869f7d740909a499.pdf. 2024. https://pestakeholder.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Correction-Instar-PRI-Letter-2024-accepted.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Private Equity Stakeholder Project |title=correction-instar-pri-letter-2024-accepted-869f7d740909a499.pdf |date=6 October 2024 |url=https://pestakeholder.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Correction-Instar-PRI-Letter-2024-accepted.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{privateequitystakeholderproject2024correctioninstarpriletter2024accepted869f7d740909a499pdf, author = {{Private Equity Stakeholder Project}}, title = {{correction-instar-pri-letter-2024-accepted-869f7d740909a499.pdf}}, publisher = {Private Equity Stakeholder Project}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://pestakeholder.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Correction-Instar-PRI-Letter-2024-accepted.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }