“CAT” BDS Initiative – time is limited – forward widely! Please help now!
The Stop CAT Coalition, part of Chicagoans Against Apartheid in Palestine (CAAP) are ready to publicly announce our initiative for this year’s Caterpillar shareholder meeting. This announcement has been delayed until now in order to ensure the success of our plans and give Caterpillar the least amount of time possible to react. Unfortunately, this means we need YOU to act fast to help our plan come to fruition.
The plan this year is to have anyone with the means purchase one share of Caterpillar stock. This will entitle you to vote on CAT shareholder resolutions, and it will also entitle you or your designated proxy to ATTEND the shareholder meeting on June 9th. Please make plans to join us in Chicago for the shareholder meeting!
In past years, the Caterpillar shareholder meeting has been dominated by only a handful of activists or disrupted by an even smaller number – garnering significant media attention for the plight of Palestinians and the BDS movement in the US. ISM volunteers played a critical role inside the shareholder meetings. Since those times, Caterpillar has changed the rules for its shareholder meetings, no longer allowing any debate on shareholder resolutions, with the only chance for shareholders to provide input being a short question and answer session at the end of the meeting. We plan to make sure our voices, and those of Palestinians impacted by CAT’s sales to Israel are heard loud and clear, but we need your help to do it.
This year, we plan to have more than a handful of activists attend. Our goal is to have at least 100 BDS activists and supporters attend the meeting. Several dozen have already purchased shares, so the plan is well underway. Stop CAT and CAAP are handling the local logistics, and matching up shareholders with designated proxies for those unable to travel and attend the meeting. The annual shareholder meeting is Caterpillar’s day in the media sun and if we can turn the attention from Cat’s finances to their activities in Palestine it is a win for our campaign.
To ensure you or your proxy are able to attend this year’s shareholder meeting, you must purchase your share by April 9th. Shares can be purchased through any brokerage house, dozens of which are online. If you need to open an account, we recommend using Zecco – opening an account can be done online, there is no minimum requirement for account balance or trading, and each trade is only $4.50.
If you need assistance opening a brokerage account or purchasing your share of CAT stock, please email CAAP at caap_mail[at]yahoo.com and we will assist you.
The current price for one share of CAT stock is $62, stock ticker CAT. While the price of your share may fluctuate, it is most likely if you choose to sell your share after the meeting, you will get most of your money back.
Once you have purchased a share, please send an email to caap_mail[at]yahoo.com so we can plan on you attending or assist in finding a proxy for you.
In solidarity,
CAAP
Ali Abunimah – Boycott-Divestment-Sanctions: Strategies for a Just Peace in Palestine-Israel
March 5, 20010
