May 28, 2019
Tech Workers Got Paid in Company Stock. They Used It to Agitate for Change.
– Broc Romanek
Here’s the intro from this NY Times article about employees submitting shareholder proposals to their employers (also see this “Activist Insight” article – which suggests companies can reduce this risk through open & authentic internal communications about employees’ concerns):
Silicon Valley technology firms are known for giving stock to their workers, a form of compensation that often helps employees feel invested in their companies. But tech workers are now starting to use those shares to turn the tables on their employers. As many tech employees take a more activist approach to how their innovations are being deployed and increasingly speak out on a range of issues, some are using the stock as a way to demand changes at their companies.
At Amazon, more than a dozen employees who had received stock grants recently exercised their rights as shareholders. In late November and early December, they filed identical shareholder petitions asking the e-commerce giant to release a comprehensive plan addressing climate change.