Anti-War Committee – Chicago
For Release: Monday,
May 02, 2016
5% of Boeing Stock
Holders Vote for Resolution Challenging Arms Sales to Israel
For more information: Kait McIntyre 815-988-8631, Joe
Iosbaker 773-301-0109
This morning, the Boeing
Company held its annual stockholders meeting in Chicago. Members of the
Anti-War Committee – Chicago (AWC) had submitted a resolution calling for the
corporation to prepare a report detailing its arms sales to Israel, and when
the votes were counted, Boeing’s board of directors reported that 5% of their
stockholders voted in favor of the resolution. The directors stated that 88% of
the stockholders had cast votes.
According to Kait McIntyre of the AWC, most people have no
idea that Boeing is a major weapons contractor. “If the public knew how many
weapons were being provided to the Israeli military for its wars on Gaza,
opposition to the weapons sales would grow,” she said.
Israel recently completed its largest arms deal with the
U.S., to purchase almost $2 billion in missiles, bombs, and guidance systems
for bombs. Boeing manufactures most of the components of these, including the
guidance systems that turn regular bombs into “smart bombs.” A report by
Amnesty International – UK showed that the bombings which caused the most
casualties in Gaza came from Boeing’s laser guided, one ton bombs, the
MK-84/GBU-31. Israel is purchasing 10,000 of these smart bomb kits.
AWC has been active in solidarity with the Palestinian
people since its founding in 2012. In 2014, three of its members—McIntyre,
Newland Smith, and Joe Iosbaker—were among those arrested protesting Boeing
Headquarters in Chicago during Operation Protective Edge, Israel’s devastating
assault on Gaza that killed over 2100 Palestinians.
In the past several years, members of the AWC had purchased
shares in the Boeing Company in order to bring a resolution before the
stockholders, have been working with the Interfaith Council on Corporate
Responsibility (ICCR). Sister Gwen Farry of ICCR and the 8th Day
Center for Justice spoke in favor of the resolution during the company meeting.
When the resolution was first submitted, the Boeing board of
directors refused to accept it. According to Richard Berg, who submitted it,
“The Boeing board refused to submit our resolution to the stockholders, saying
it interfered with the regular business of the company.”
On February 5th, 2016, the Securities and Exchange
Commission overruled the directors. The board
continued to oppose the resolution. “Boeing then said this sale is
controversial to a small number of individual shareholders. This is more
evidence of the growing impact of the movement to Boycott, Divest and Sanction [BDS]
Israel,” explained McIntyre.
The company has a threshold for shareholder activism. To
continue to press an issue, a resolution must achieve 3% of the votes. Newland
Smith said, “With 5%, we can continue to press this issue next year. By then,
we hope to reach the next threshold, which is 6%,so we can continue this
campaign.
