Show 42: SEC Reexamines Shareholder Activism

Is there too much or too little shareholder activism and democracy? The Securities and Exchange Commission, in recent roundtable discussions, called for reexamination of the rights of shareholders to place shareholder resolutions on the corporate ballot. Attorney Sanford Lewis and Journalist Bill Baue,Corporate Watchdog Radio cohosts, discuss the array of ideas and pressures at work on the SEC. We hear excerpts of comments from David Hirschmann of the US Chamber of Commerce, Damon Silvers of the AFL-CIO, Bill Mostyn, Bank of America, and Delaware Judge Leo Strine. The future of shareholder democracy may hang in the balance.

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Article by cohost Bill Baue on the SEC Roundtables

Show 41: Organic Milk and Factory Farming

Dean Foods' Horizon Organic Milk brand is under fire for its industrial farming model. Mark Kastel of the Cornucopia Institute and Steven Heim of Boston Common Asset Management speak about the shareowner engagement they've been conducting with the company, asking why Dean would want to endanger the reputation of its Horizon brand by sourcing milk from factory farms. George Siemon, CEO of Organic Valley, a cooperative that competes with Horizon nationally, talks about the difference between the family farm organic model and the industrial farm organic model, as well as noting some positives that corporations can bring to the sustainability movement. Francesca Rheannon of Writer's Voice co-hosts this edition with Bill Baue.


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Cornucopia Institute

Boston Common Asset Management

Dean Foods Stock Drops 12% on Concerns About Organic Brands - Investors Challenge Dean Foods' Investment in Organic Factory Farms at Annual Shareholders Meeting

Organic Valley