In 2014, the average CEO earned 373 times more than the average worker.
While employees at big corporations like Walmart and McDonald’s earn so little they need government help just to pay bills and put food on the table, CEOs are taking home pay packages worth tens of millions.
Luckily, we can do something to stop this. There’s a growing movement of activists, shareholders and everyday investors who are calling on big companies to rein in ridiculous CEO pay deals -- and it’s working. Just last week, BP shareholders voted down the CEO’s $20 million pay package.
And now we have the chance to influence BlackRock, the single largest asset manager in the world.
Will you call on BlackRock to use its money to stop runaway CEO pay?
The investment giant owns shares in almost every public company in the world. BlackRock executives cast votes at thousands of shareholder meetings each year -- and nearly every single time, they approve outrageous pay levels for CEOs.
A BlackRock shareholder has just put forward a shareholder resolution calling for BlackRock to change its voting policy on CEO pay. If the resolution passes at the company’s AGM, it could have a huge impact on CEO pay at hundreds of the world’s biggest companies.
Let's send a strong message to BlackRock that it needs to support this resolution or alienate its customers -- and hurt its bottom line.
Call on BlackRock to do the right thing and stop propping up overpaid CEOs.
Executive pay has been skyrocketing for the last 30 years, while the wages of average workers stagnate. The average CEO now earns nearly 1000% more than in 1978, while average workers only earn a pitiful 11% more -- not even enough to keep up with rising costs of living.
BlackRock thinks it can keep voting to support fat cat CEOs without any backlash, because it doesn't think anyone is paying attention. If we can show that thousands of its investors and customers are watching, we can force BlackRock to change its stance on CEO pay.
We’ll deliver your signatures at the AGM on May 26th -- and make sure that BlackRock knows that it can’t continue to vote for skyrocketing CEO pay without facing consequences.
Our shareholder activism is making a real impact. Just last week we gained historic support for a resolution calling on Canada’s biggest tar sands company to disclose its lobbying and political spending. Now we’re taking on the outrageous system of executive pay.
More information
New York Times. 14 April 2016.