TEENS
PROTEST AT
ALTRIA SHAREHOLDERS MTG
Richmond,
VA
April 24, 2003
Each
year, Philip Morris/Altria holds its annual meeting of shareholders
in Richmond, VA, home to about half of the Philip Morris USA workforce.
This year 200 teens were on hand to hold the company accountable
for peddling death around the world and to send a strong message
that a new name will never hide the company's global shame!
We
arose bright and early, in order to be "in position"
by the time shareholders started arriving (~7:30am). It is hard
to miss the exit for the Philip Morris manufacturing plant. On
the company grounds, not far from the highway, there stands a
towering
monument to the company's cigarette brands.
OUTSIDE
RALLY
We
parked at a nearby fast-food franchise and started walking down
the long road that runs between the highway and Philip Morris.
We whipped out our signs, warmed up our chanting voices, and inflated
our large "Licensed to Kill" cigarette pack in front
of the monument to Marlboro, Virginia Slim, and Parliament.
Inside
the metal bar fence that surrounds Philip Morris were security
guards on horses. Teens held their signs up high at the fence
and shouted chants loudly. They then went back to the road, completely
lining the path that shareholders have to drive to get into
the meeting.
Passing
truck drivers honked in solidarity. When the shareholders started
showing up, however, they weren't nearly as happy to see the teens.
A
number of shareholders expressed their views with "friendly"
hand gestures.
The
media showed up in droves. Three (ABC, NBC, CBS) television crews,
two newspapers, an AP photographer and reporter, and two radio
stations. They were eager to interview
the teens and get video footage of their demonstration.
Selected
photos
FACT
(Fighting Against Corporate Tobacco) teens from Wisconsin turned
themselves into a long human billboard
Hey
Big Tobacco…I won't believe your lies!
A
shareholder in a fancy car passes through the teen-lined entrance
to Philip Morris
People
over profits!
Big
Tobacco is Addicted to Profit
Revoke
the License to Kill
View
more photos!
GOING INTO THE "BELLY OF THE BEAST"
We
were able to bring 12 people (10 teens, 2 adults) into the shareholders
meeting. We headed to the front entrance on foot and were promptly
stopped by security guards, who checked our IDs and paperwork
before allowing us to proceed further. We were then led to a processing
tent, where company employees photocopied our IDs and paperwork.
After going through a metal detector and having our bags searched
to make sure that we weren't carrying in multiple copies of literature
to clandestinely hand out, we were allowed to pass and go into
the meeting.
We
then entered the tent that is set up for the pre-meeting "coffee
hour." Many of the visual displays and literature were new
to reflect the change in the company's name. Even the company's
annual report had a new, square shape to match the multi-colored
squares of the company's new logo. One pamphlet entitled "What
is Altria?" featured images used in the company's massive
PR campaign: a towering tree, Greek columns, and the Sunshine
Skyway Bridge. Another flyer, featuring the Statue of Liberty,
advertised Altria's ironically-named "New Town Hall"
initiative to eliminate the "double taxation of dividend
income (www.newtownhall.com).
There were also two booths with examples of the company's domestic
and international so-called "youth smoking prevention"
programs.
ALTRIA
BOASTS THAT THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT FOR ITS KILLER BRANDS
Despite the company's new name and bright colors, the tone of
this years shareholders meeting was decidedly more somber than
last year's - due in part to the multiple lawsuits that the company
is currently facing and declines in domestic market volume. The
annual report notes that overall domestic industry shipment volume
in 2002 declined by 3.7% to 391.4 billion unites, while PM USA's
shipment volume declined 7.5% to 191.6 billion units. But not
to worry, the company's sales were up dramatically overseas. Here
are some statistics that the annual report proudly offers regarding
its international tobacco business:
-
Philip Morris International Inc (PMI) continued to general growth
in volume, market share and operating companies income in 2002.
Shipment volume increased 3.5% to 723.1 billion units, led by
gains in Russia, Turkey and Japan.
-
L&M, the third-best-selling international cigarette brand,
available in more than 70 markets, had an outstanding year in
2002. Supported by international advertising and related promotions,
L&M volume increased 42%. This performance was driven by
the Lights and Super Lights varieties in Eastern Europe, particularly
Russia, and gains in Argentina, Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia,
Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Turkey.
- In
Central Europe, the Middle East and Africa, volume increased
2.4%
- In
Eastern Europe, PMI advanced 12.5%, due to continue robust growth
in Russia, where L&M, Parliament, Chesterfield, Virginia
Slims and Optima were all up significantly.
- In
Asia, volume increased 3.3%. Gains were achieved in Indonesia,
Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand.
- In
Latin America, volume rose 2.4%. Argentina, Brazil and Mexico
were the key contributors to the volume gain. In Argentina,
PMI's share advanced 0.9 points to a record 65.2%, driven by
the Philip Morris brand.
- PMI
is positioned for continued expansion with Marlboro and a strong
portfolio of other international brands that have leading and
growing positions in the key growth segments of American-blend
and low-tar cigarettes, as well as its significant global scale
and infrastructure.
In
other words, PMI is positioned for continued expansion of the
global epidemic of tobacco-related death and disease, also known
as "SARS" (Shameless
Addiction to Riches from Smoking)
NH
TEEN INTRODUCES ALTRIA CEO TO "LICENSED TO KILL, INC"
Following the CEO's report, there was a Question & Answer
period. 20 minutes were reserved for each of the three rooms.
Each person was limited to 2 minutes. Every year, the company
"plants" people to ask questions that the CEO then uses
to highlight "positive" aspects of the company. Nevertheless,
over 50% of the people who posed questions this year were tobacco
control advocates. After lining up prematurely for the Q &
A and being sent back to our chairs twice, we raced to get in
line for a third time, only to be beaten by a bunch of pro-tobacco
folks. One by one they stepped in front of the camera, asked their
question, and waited for the CEO's response. Finally, it was the
turn of Vicki Hebert’s (aka “Virginia Slime”),
a teen
involved with Dover Youth to Youth (NH). She took the opportunity
to introduce CEO Louis Camilleri to "Licensed to Kill, Inc,
the new tobacco company incorporated in Virginia that plans to
manufacturer and market tobacco in a way that kills over 4.9 million
people annually." Vicki said that what makes Licensed to
Kill different from other companies is that it doesn't hide what
its business is about. Her question to Camilleri (paraphrased):
Is Altria planning on becoming more like Licensed to Kill, in
terms of telling the truth about its deadly products? Not surprisingly,
Camilleri completely "rejected" the question!
CAMILLERI
EVADES QUESTION ABOUT MARLBORO BABY CLOTHS
Later in the meeting program, six shareholder proposals were presented.
This gave us another opportunity to confront the CEO about the
company's business practices around the world. Proposal #3, on
youth smoking, read:
WHEREAS,
Philip Morris has undertaken efforts in the United States to
discourage smoking by minors; and
WHEREAS, it has been reported that Philip Morris has engaged
in efforts overseas to encourage smoking among young people
(New York Times 8/24/01); and
WHEREAS, it has also been reported that these efforts have included
the distribution of free cigarettes to minors; and
WHEREAS, in 1998 Philip Morris CEO Geoffrey Bible, states that
the Company would eliminate discrepancies between marketing
in the US and abroad (NYT 8/24/01);
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that shareholders request the Board
of Directors to review worldwide corporate adherence to Philip
Morris policies aimed at discouraging smoking among young people,
and report the results of that review to shareholders by November
2003.
Jessica
Harvey, a teen leader of NY Reality Check program's International
Action Committee, was the first to speak in favor of the proposal.
As soon as the camera turned on her, Jessica brandished red Marlboro
baby clothing from Togo for the CEO and all to see. The same Marlboro
baby clothing has been in West Africa since at least 1998, and
the company does not appear to have done anything about it. Children
less than 1 year old have been seen wearing the clothing. Anticipating
that the CEO would deny responsibility and call the clothing a
"rip-off", Jessica said that whether or not Philip Morris
distributed the clothing is beside the point -- a company as rich
and as powerful as Altria should be able to clamp down on such
an outrageous promotional gimmick. CEO Camilleri completely "rejected"
what Jessica had to say and didn't even attempt to comment. Terra
Gearhart, a teen involved with NM Fighting Against Corporate Tobacco,
then commented on the company's bogus youth smoking prevention
programs to which the CEO responded disingenuously by saying that
the company "shares the same goal in wanting to lower teenage
smoking."
See photos of Marlboro baby clothing from Togo:photo
1 , photo
2
And Senegal (1998): photo
1, photo
2, photo
3
CAMILLERI
CONFRONTED OVER CIGARETTE SMUGGLING IN IRAQ
Shareholder Proposal #5 outlined the civil lawsuit that 22 Colombian
States and the City of Bogota filed against Philip Morris in 2000
alleging that the company has...
"actively engaged in smuggling activities, and concealed
such conduct, through illegal acts, including money laundering,
wire fraud, mail fraud, and other violations of United States
law" and has "controlled, directed, encouraged, supported
and facilitated the activities of smugglers…collaborated
with smugglers, encouraged smugglers, and directly and indirectly,
sold cigarettes to persons and entities whom the Company knew
to be smugglers;"
and
requested that the Board..
"establish a committee of independent directors to determine
the extent of our Company's past or present involvement directly
or indirectly in any smuggling of its cigarettes throughout
the world. We recommend this Committee make appropriate recommendations
to ensure that our Company is not involved in any way in selling
cigarettes in ways that might assist smuggling and that it not
sell cigarettes to any distributor or any other person who cannot
fully and accurately account for the source of the funds with
which the cigarettes were purchased…"
Anna
White, Coordinator of Essential Action's Global Partnerships for
Tobacco Control spoke in favor of the proposal, noting that it
has recently come to light that during the 1990s Philip Morris
cigarettes were smuggled into Iraq and that Saddam Hussein's son,
Uday, was known to control the cigarette market in the country.
"Your company's strong opposition to this proposal suggests
that it so addicted to profits from weapons of mass destruction
made from tobacco that it is willing to support a regime that
[the U.S. alleges is developing weapons of mass destruction]."
Once again, CEO Camilleri completely "rejected" the
comment.
Read
more about this issue:
US
tobacco companies face claims of smuggling to Iraq
By Inigo Gilmore in Jerusalem and David Wastell, Diplomatic Correspondent
The Telegraph, 13/10/2002
ALTRIA
FINALLY KICKS TEENS OUT
On our way out of the meeting, Anna White donned a "Revoke
the License to Kill" t-shirt, which attracted significant
notice from shareholders and Altria employees alike. But it was
when teens started placing hard-hitting postcards (courtesy Michael
Cummings, Roswell Park Cancer Institute) on all the food tables
that Altria finally lost its cool and kicked us out. The postcards
read:
Attention
Marlboro Smokers
* Marlboro cigarettes cause cancer, heart disease, emphysema
and other serious diseases.
* Marlboro cigarettes are addiction.
* There is no such thing as a safe Marlboro
In
1997, Philip Morris CEO Geoffrey Bible testified that he would
shut his manufacturing plans down instantly if scientists proved
that cigarettes were a cause of lung cancer.
CLASS
A BROKEN PROMISES
If
Marlboros really do cause the disease that YOU say they do…
Please keep you promise and stop making them.
The
postcard features a Marlboro pack and a green-faced Marlboro man.
View
the postcard
MEDIA
COVERAGE
At noon, we were the top news story on all the local television.
Later, on their way home to NY, Reality Check teens called their
local television stations and had them obtain and air the television
footage from their affiliate stations in Richmond. Here's some
of the media coverage we got:
AP
photo of Licensed to Kill pack
AP
photo of Mary Knoll and Brianna Stuessey (teens from Beloit, WI)
AP
article that mentions outside protest - April 24, 2003
Richmond
Times-Dispatch - April 25, 2003 and accompanying
photo *
Beloit
Daily News (WI)
Local
television news coverage
*
A wonderful diversity of teens came to Richmond. They did a great
job of highlighting the many subpopulations that the tobacco industry
targets, including the LGBT community. This photo features Reality
Check teens from NYC holding "Queer Teens United Against
Big Tobacco" signs. Learn
more about how the tobacco industry has targeted this subpopulation,
i.e. R.J.Reynolds "Project SCUM"
MISCELLANEOUS
Talking
Points
Chants
Signs
Messages for Louis
Short
video by Strive Media Institute
Request copies of video
footage
OTHER
LINKS
Shareholders
meeting
Remarks
by Chairman and CEO Louis Camilleri
Full
Altria Group Inc 2002 Annual Report
Business
Review
View
how shareholders voted on the proposals (all of which Altria
opposed)
Altria
Product List - to Boycott!
THANKS!
Thanks to the following groups for participating:
- Dover
Youth to Youth (NH)
- Fighting
Against Corporate Tobacco (NM & WI*)
- Reality
Check (NY)
- RAZE
(WV)
* Rock County Tobacco Free Kids, Strive Media Institute
Thanks
also to Infact and several Altria stock-owning allies for providing
us with proxies to attend the meeting; to Ghislain Aledji of ATLAT
(Togo) and Carol McGruder of San Francisco African American Tobacco
Free Project (USA) for supplying us with the Marlboro baby clothes;
and to all our international colleagues who supplied us with examples,
ideas, and suggestions!
WANNA
JOIN THE FUN?
Would
your group like to be involved next year? Join us in Richmond
in 2004! Email Essential
Action for more information
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