UPDATE Caterpillar CEO says: if you don't like Cat's practices, then divest
Reageer (0)Stop the Wall
Caterpillar faces demonstrators in shareholders meeting
22-6-2009
Protests marked Caterpillar Corporation’s annual shareholder’s meeting in Chicago on June 10th. A number of peace and Palestine solidarity groups gained access to the meeting itself through the purchase of corporate shares, while others rallied outside the building, educating passersby about the crimes Occupation forces are committing with Caterpillar equipment. A supporting protest was also held outside Caterpillar offices in Portland Oregon (USA).
Caterpillar’s D-9 and D-10 bulldozers are used by the Israeli military to destroy Palestinian homes and agricultural property, a war crime under international law.
Activists shareholders inside the meeting introduced a resolution that would require Caterpillar to report on foreign sales of weapons related products. The resolution did not pass, but was noted in international and business media coverage.
CEO Jim Owens reportedly said that those who don’t like the actions of Caterpillar should divest from it’s stock. One shareholder not affiliated with the activists said he would take Owens up on his advice to divest, having already suffered investment losses in other companies due to bad PR and lawsuits.
Groups represented in the shareholders meeting included Jewish Voice for Peace, the Sisters of Loretto, Chicagoans Against Apartheid in Palestine, the US Campaign to End the Occupation, and Hampshire College Students for Justice in Palestine.
The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Reuters, and other international media reported the protests in their coverage of the meeting.
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Caterpillar under Fire for Human Rights Abuses for Sixth Year in a Row
by the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
Chicago, IL (June 3) -- For the sixth year in a row, members of Jewish, Christian, and human rights organizations will be present at Caterpillar, Inc.'s annual shareholder meeting to demand that Caterpillar end its complicity with violations of human rights and international law in the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem.
Concerned shareholders will urge Caterpillar shareholders to vote yes on proposition #5. This shareholder resolution calls for a review of Caterpillar sales to militaries with poor human rights records, including Israel. The resolution is sponsored by an interfaith coalition including Jewish Voice for Peace, the Sisters of Loretto, the Mercy Investment Program, and over 10 additional Catholic organizations. Jewish Voice for Peace will personally deliver thousands of letters from Jews and allies to the Caterpillar Board of Directors. These shareholders will be supported outside by a public gathering calling on Caterpillar to end sales to governments with patterns of using CAT equipment to violate international law. This effort is organized in part by the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation and local groups, Chicagoans Against Apartheid in Palestine and the Arab Jewish Partnership for Peace and Justice in the Middle East. Events are also planned for June 10th at Caterpillar dealerships across the country.
According to Lynn Pollack of the Chicago chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, "Caterpillar claims that selling military equipment to Israel and other countries amounts to only 0.06% of its sales. Too many homes, trees, and lives in Palestine have paid dearly for that meager 0.06%. It is high time for Caterpillar to be less greedy and more ethical."
The dissent inside and outside of the Caterpillar shareholder meeting comes in the midst of a growing movement to divest from Caterpillar until it ends its material support for Israel's military occupation and apartheid practices. Caterpillar equipment, including armored and weaponized D-9 bulldozers, are used by the Israeli military to destroy Palestinian homes, lay waste to thousands of acres of Palestinian agricultural land, and build the Israeli separation wall, which was declared illegal by the International Court of Justice in 2004. The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions estimates that 24,145 houses have been demolished in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza since 1967. Most recently, Caterpillar equipment was used to destroy houses during the Israeli assault on Gaza in December-January. Additionally, the Israeli military has killed dozens of people using Caterpillar equipment, including American peace activist Rachel Corrie of Olympia, Washington.
The movement to hold Caterpillar accountable has received a recent boost from decisions by the Church of England and Hampshire College to divest. These institutions held a combined total of more than $3 million in Caterpillar stock before their decisions to divest in December 2008 and February 2009, respectively. More recently, a group of 20 Israeli human rights organizations have petitioned the Norwegian government to divest its pension fund from a list of companies providing support for Israel's military occupation, including Caterpillar.
Ilana Rossoff, a member of Students for Justice in Palestine at Hampshire College, comments that "It is time that Caterpillar investors wake up to the reality that people will not stand for continued support for occupation. Since the recent war on Gaza, the need for action against corporations providing services to perpetuate the brutal occupations of the West Bank and Gaza has become ever more urgent and Hampshire's recent divestment has shown that colleges, universities, and municipalities will take action in the name of human rights"
The pressure on Caterpillar is part of a larger effort to promote accountability for companies that profit from Israel's military occupation. Human rights groups, students, and faith organizations have joined forces to put pressure on these companies. The US Campaign and its member organizations plan to continue pressuring Caterpillar by organizing divestment efforts in cities, campuses, and churches across the country.
The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation is a national coalition of more than 280 organizations facilitating responsible U.S. policy toward Israel/Palestine and responsible consumer choices to support human rights, international law, and equality for all Israelis and Palestinians. For more information about the US Campaign, please click here.
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End the Occupation
Caterpillar CEO Jim Owens is pro-divestment?
16-6-2009
Jim Owens, the CEO of Caterpillar, really knows how to endear himself to human rights advocates.
The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, along with allies and member groups such as Jewish Voice for Peace, Chicagoans Against Apartheid in Palestine, and the Sisters of Loretto, created a presence both inside and outside last week's Caterpillar shareholder meeting. Faced with a presentation from Matan Cohen of Hampshire College Students for Justice in Palestine and questions by human rights advocates including the National Organizer of the US Campaign, Owens repeatedly made statements to the effect that if shareholder don't like the way that CAT operates, they shouldn't hold stock in CAT.
That's right. The CEO of Caterpillar is urging shareholders to divest!
At the end of the meeting, one shareholder who was previously unfamiliar with Caterpillar's complicity in occupation and apartheid confided that his retirement had already been hit hard by corporations which have made bad P.R. moves or lost law suits. On his way out of the meeting, he stated that he would follow Jim Owens' advice to divest of Caterpillar stock.
We're thrilled that Owens is recommending divestment, and thrilled that he is confirming human rights concerns about Caterpillar operations by comparing the company to notorious human rights abuser Coca-Cola, at one point saying "We're the Coca-Cola of the manufacturing world."
Of course, these rare moments of candor only come along every so often. Act now to let Caterpillar's management know that you plan to take Owens' advice--and that you are going to urge your faith community, school, or union to do the same!
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End the Occupation
Last week, Caterpillar's board members faced shareholders, including our allies from Jewish Voice for Peace, the Sisters of Loretto, and Chicagoans Against Apartheid in Palestine. The US Campaign's National Organizer attended and spoke at the meeting as well, on behalf of shareholder Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights. Inside the meeting Matan Cohen of Hampshire College Students for Justice in Palestine spoke on behalf of a resolution that would require Caterpillar to report on foreign sales of weapons related products. During the Q&A portion of the meeting our allies repeatedly demanded to know why CAT continues to risk legal action and alienate investors by providing Israel with the machinery of occupation and apartheid. Repeatedly, Caterpillar CEO, Jim Owens, told those in attendance that if they don't like the way Caterpillar operates, then they don't have to hold on to their stock.
At the end of the meeting, one shareholder who was previously unfamiliar with Caterpillar's complicity in occupation and apartheid confided that his retirement had already been hit hard by corporations which have made bad P.R. moves or lost law suits. On his way out of the meeting, he stated that he would follow Jim Owens' advice to divest of Caterpillar stock. We are thrilled by the success of Jim Owens' endorsement of divestment! Click here to help us spread this message.
We got our message to people outside of the meeting through the media and public protest. View our media hits, including the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Forbes, Democracy Now!, and several local radio stations, by clicking here. Unfortunately, after a lengthy exchange, the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times both rejected our online ad, which we wanted to place on their websites during the CAT shareholder meeting. But we won't accept this censorship. We're going to use contributions from supporters like you to place this ad on blogs and Facebook, educating even more people about our campaign. Click here to make a tax-deductible donation to amplify our message online. Each $50 that you donate will inform 80 targeted Facebook users about our campaign. Every $200 will ensure that our blog ad educates 4500 new people about our effective boycott and divestment campaign, which sheds light on Caterpillar's complicity in human rights and international law violations in Israel/Palestine.
US Campaign supporters and member groups rallied outside of the shareholder meeting, educating passersby and the media about CAT's culpability for war crimes in Palestine/Israel. The Church of England and Hampshire College divesting from Caterpillar aren't the only recent victories for the global boycott and divestment movement. French company Violia recently bowed to human rights advocates and withdrew from the Jerusalem Light Rail project that would connect West Bank settlements to West Jerusalem via commuter rail. Similar European campaigns forced international financier Dexia to end its support for Israeli settlements on Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Our blog ads will spread this same message that corporations cannot profit from war crimes. Click here to educate savvy investors about the spreading divestment movement targeting Caterpillar through our blog ads. Our Facebook ads will reach students at campuses to be visited on our October Campus Boycott & Divestment Organizing Tour. Help us use Caterpillar's own words to hold them accountable, make a tax deductible donation to our online advertising campaign now.
You can also continue this campaign's momentum by clicking here to order a local campaign kit to organize Caterpillar boycott and divestment in your community.
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