Let’s get loud: in the streets and in our briefs
Beyond providing financial products to serve ordinary people’s needs today, we at Just Futures are helping build the regenerative economy of tomorrow. Part of this building for the future means changing corporations so they better serve everyday communities.
Just Futures is joining grassroots activists, like Amazon Watch, and shareholder advocates, like Investor Advocates for Social Justice (IASJ), to make noise outside the boardroom (in the streets) and inside (through written briefs).
You have probably seen actions in the streets. (If you want to join a community demonstration, sign up for Just Futures’ monthly newsletter for updates on activities near you). But most folks don’t know about inside-the-boardroom advocacy.
Publicly traded companies (firms for which members of the public can trade shares on exchanges or over the counter) have annual general meetings (AGMs), “yearly gathering[s] of [the] company’s interested shareholders.” At these meetings, shareholders can propose ways to improve the company. For example, for Chevron’s 2025 AGM, IASJ submitted a proposal to advance human rights:
Shareholders request the Board of Directors commission an independent third-party report, at reasonable cost and omitting proprietary information, evaluating how effectively the company implements its Human Rights Policy and other company efforts to prevent, mitigate, and remedy actual and potential human rights impacts of its operations. The third-party should provide an opportunity for civil society and human rights organizations to provide input, and the report should be made public on Chevron’s website (Chevron Proxy Statement, page 114).
The proposal goes on to explain how, contrary to the company’s public statements that it respects human rights, Chevron’s operations harm vulnerable people around the world. It notes lawsuits against Chevron that claim “torture, forced labor/slavery, rape, murder, and even genocide.”
Shareholders vote on whether they want the board of directors to act on the proposal. If enough shareholders vote yes, then the board may comply with the resolution. Though the board does not have to follow the proposal’s instructions, if a proposal wins around 30% shareholder support, board members typically pay attention. For example, in 2024, IASJ filed a proposal asking JPMorgan Chase – one of the oil and gas industry’s biggest funders – to report on how its practices impact Indigenous Peoples’ rights. The proposal earned 30% support. JPMorgan Chase’s board of directors seem to have noticed: in 2025 the board agreed to disclose more about its ”Nature and Social” policies. The board also updated its Human Rights Statement.
Hungry for more knowledge? Read on to learn about how to decide between a Roth or pre-tax account.
If you don’t have a retirement investing account, or if your employer contracts with a different retirement plan administrator, we’d love to show you the advantages we at Just Futures can offer! Contact us: info@justfutures.com.
~Lisa, Manager of Coalitions and Worker Power