Encouraging News: AFT Passes Resolution on TIAA-CREF and Human/Labor/Civil Rights
Your Support Is Needed
Apologies for writing again so soon, but we bring you good news. On October 14, the 1.4 million strong American Federation of Teachers (AFT) passed a resolution regarding TIAA-CREF investment and policy on issues of human/labor/civil rights (see link below).
http://www.aftface.org/storage/face/documents/10-14-09_aft_resolution_tiaa-cref.pdf
Through a collaboration between our Make TIAA-CREF Ethical Coalition* and the CUNY Professional Staff Congress union, the latter drafted a resolution that was passed in 2007 by its umbrella group, AFT. AFT has now passed a tougher and more specific resolution that again singles out the three companies that have long been Coalition targets. We thank them.
TIAA-CREF has already responded to AFT, essentially saying that what they are doing now is fine and sufficient .We have conveyed to AFT that we hope they will follow up the resolution by putting pressure on TIAA-CREF. Plus we presented AFT with proposals on ways we think that TIAA-CREF can best influence our target companies.
As we noted in our recent message on environmental concerns, we urge you to:
Call TIAA-CREF at 800-842-2733 (212-490-9000) and ask for CEO Roger Ferguson. Leave this basic message, in your own words: “We urge you to implement the resolution recently passed by the American Federation of Teachers concerning human, labor, and civil rights. It is time for TIAA-CREF to get tougher with companies in its portfolio to bring about the changes that the AFT seeks.”
If you are in the TIAA-CREF system, note that as well.
Also email Mr. Ferguson and TIAA-CREF Trustees with the same message: RWFerguson@tiaa-cref.org; trustees@tiaa-cref.org.
Send this message out as widely as you can.
Thanks much, Neil.
P.S. Those involved in our TIAA-CREF effort might wonder why I am still sending out messages given my statement months back that I was basically ending my work on the effort. Well, the transition to a new coordinator did not work as planned. Though working at a reduced level, I am still hanging in there.
Neil Wollman, Ph. D.; Senior Fellow, Bentley Alliance for Ethics and Social Responsibility; Bentley University; Waltham, MA, 02452; NWollman@Bentley.edu;
*Sprawl-Busters, Press for Change, Campaign to Stop Killer Coke/Corporate Campaign, Inc.,Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, Social Choice for Social Change, Citizens Coalition (Frente Civico), Educating for Justice, National Community Reinvestment Coalition, United Students Against Sweatshops, Canadian Committee To Combat Crimes Against Humanity (CCCCH), Corporate Accountability International (formerly Infact), World Bank Bonds Boycott