Who owns a publicly traded company? The short answer is, “The shareholders.” But that probably won’t get you very far on your campaign. What you really want to know is whether there are any individual shareholders that are so large and powerful that they could actually persuade management to change their course of action. So where do you start?
The Fight for 15, OUR Walmart, and related campaigns have done a tremendous amount to raise the bar on the discussion of the minimum wage. A $15 minimum wage sounds like a lot, but how does it compare to what it actually takes to make ends meet? There are lots of resources out there that can help estimate what a true livable wage would be for a specific place. This post takes you through the resources that help you make your case.
If you are working on a campaign to bring about policy changes, or advocating for a specific piece of legislation, it is essential that you know who else is lobbying on the issue, how much they are spending, and which individuals and firms are doing the work. But even if you are working on other types of campaigns—such as organizing campaigns that focus on a single industry or sector—these records can be helpful. Understanding how a company or industry trade association spends its lobbying dollars can give you insight into how these businesses work. For example, businesses in a certain sector might rely on a certain tax credit, or worry about the effects of a certain regulation, or benefit from a specific federal or state appropriation. Here’s how to figure it out.
I’m not going to lie to you . . . the law isn’t great when it comes to requiring union-busting law firms and direct persuaders to disclose information about their activities, but it is (usually) possible to at least figure out a few key pieces of information.
For example, you may be able to find out how much these consultants are paid per hour (often many hundreds of dollars), or how much the company has paid them over the course of a campaign. It might catch the attention of undecided workers if, for instance, the company claims it doesn’t have a penny to pay a fair wage, but it just spent $200,000 on pricey consultants to tell them how to vote. Knowing which campaigns a consultant has worked on in the past can also help you prepare for what’s coming down the pike. Here’s how you can be prepared.
