CEO Pay is 300 Times More than Workers*: Where's Justice in the Workplace?

DETROIT, Oct. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today's unrest has but one origin: a system that begets injustice in the workplace. Whether social, environmental or economic, America's system incentivizes behavior that is destroying our planet and communities.   

Detroit and Southeast Michigan's only sustainable business forum, the SMSBF, invites anyone interested in advancing justice to watch, "Struggle for Workplace Justice: The Michael Friedman Story". Register for exclusive access to the video.

"At no time in our nation's history has democratic power been more threatened than today. This threat is rooted in a sense that 'we, the people' are no longer empowered to advance justice," says Mike Shesterkin, Executive Director of SMSBF. "'Struggle for Workplace Justice' shows that a commitment to advancing justice through democratic reform of the workplace can advance justice broadly. We can reverse today's trend, organize and work toward justice by democratizing the workplace."

"Struggle" is About Justice in the Workplace

"Struggle" chronicles Friedman's story, from his Jewish roots in Brooklyn, through the civil unrest of the 1960's to his work with Detroit's Center for Community Based Enterprises, an organization that advances worker ownership.

After graduating from Cambridge in the mid-60's, Friedman taught at Brooklyn College, which was where he and a small group were inspired by the work of Tom Hayden and Hal Draper. They eventually left academia and moved to Cleveland and entered the working class.

Starting as a cab driver, Friedman joined the Teamsters and later drove trucks. With Teamsters card in hand, Friedman edited and published newsletters and helped organize rank and file and local union leadership. Friedman went on to co-found Teamsters for a Democratic Union, which was instrumental in bringing democratic reform to America's best-known and often maligned union.

Today, Friedman works with Detroit's Center for Community Based Enterprises, where he and others, led by Executive Director, Karen Tyler-Ruiz, work to advance worker ownership through cooperatives and other forms of business governance.

About SMSBF

SMSBF's vision is a local, diverse, resilient, just, and democratically led community and economy in Detroit and SE Michigan. A registered 501 (c) 3, SMSBF's mission is to deliver content businesses and community stakeholders can use that lead to a sustainable, triple bottom line business community in the region. 

SOURCE Southeast Michigan Sustainable Business Forum (SMSBF)