Corporate Watch

Union membership is a worker’s best protection against corporate power.  For this reason many companies will use tactics that are dishonest at best, and sometimes criminal, to keep unions out. Where unions are present, many employers shamefully attempt to break the will of workers before granting even nominal concessions through collective bargaining. This page is meant to be a resource for our brothers and sisters involved in these struggles to get the message out, and for all others to become aware and involved in the fight. Please visit often to stay aware of updates on contract negotiations, strikes, organizing drives and other actions for local, national and international campaigns.

If you are currently involved in a struggle with a company, or know of a bad corporate citizen that we have missed, please submit your story to jdrinkwater@massaflcio.org:

Chief executives at the nation’s largest corporations received $9.25 million in average total compensation in 2009, according to the AFL-CIO’s analysis of available pay data from 292 companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index. Although average total compensation for these CEOs declined 9 percent from the previous year, executive retirement benefits increased 23 percent.

Long-Term Trends in CEO and Worker Pay

Click here to go to the AFL-CIO's Executive PayWatch page.

Click here to view the AFL-CIO's Case Studies on Executive Pay.

Click here to access the AFL-CIO's CEO Pay Database.

2009 Average CEO Pay at S&P 500 Companies
Salary $1,041,012
Bonus $203,714
Stock Awards $2,630,574
Option Awards $2,284,595
Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation $1,790,703
Pension and Deferred Compensation Earnings $1,060,867
All Other Compensation $235,232
Total $9,246,697

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The Highest Paid Executives in Massachusetts

1. Marc N. Casper, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.- Total 2009 Compensation: 34,283,774

2. J. Raymond Elliot, Boston Scientific Corp.- Total 2009 Compensation: 33,472,734 

3. Matthew W. Emmens, Vertx Pharmaceuticals Inc.- Total 2009 Compensation: 19,278,158

4. William H. Swanson, Raytheon Corp.- Total 2009 Compensation: 18,636,872

5. Carol Meyrowitz, TJX Companies Inc.- Total 2009 Compensation: 17,362,112

6. Ronald L. Sargent, Staples Inc.- Total 2009 Compensation: 10,759,001

7. James C. Mullen, Biogen Idec Inc.- Total 2009 Compensation: 10,440,166

8. Sean M. Healey, Affiliated Managers Group Inc.- Total 2009 Compensation: 10,429,004 

9. Paul A. Ricci, Nuance Communications Inc.- Total 2009 Compensation 9,912,225

10. Henry A. Termeer, Genzyme Corp.- Total 2009 Compensation 9,507,403

Stories of Corporate Injustice

Wal-Mart
The largest employer in the United States has over 3,900 stores and 1.4 million workers, and not one is represented by a union. Low wages, poor healthcare, and general mistreatment is what you can expect as a Wal-Mart employee. 

Toyota
Workers at a Toyota plant in Kentucky want union representation because they say the company is increasingly hiring part-time workers, which drives down wages and benefits for full-time workers. 

Coca-Cola
The world's largest distributer of soda has piled up a long list of workers' rights violations around the world. The intimidation and murder of union supporters at Colombian Coca-Cola plants makes the low wages around the world almost pale in comparison.

Comcast
One of the most vehemently anti-union companies in the United States; only 2% of Comcast's 90,000 employees have union representation. The company is concerned only with the bottom line and profits. Perhaps they could increase their profits by reducing CEO Brian Roberts’ $27.8 million dollar salary? 
 
FedEx
FedEx considers its Home Delivery drivers “independent contractors”, which means that the company does not have to pay benefits and taxes. The NLRB has ruled against this classification several times, recently in Massachusetts and Connecticut, but the company continues to fight it tooth and nail.