Minutes of Peace & Social Concerns Meeting, 8/22/2019

Present: Diane (clerk), David A, Jane J, Frank G, Ka (recording clerk), Dan G

We began with a time of silence, in particular remembering our lost comrades Beth and Roger.

Nuclear Ban Alignment: David presents the information he has collected for bringing MT into nuclear treaty alignment. The document he prepared is appended to these notes. MT keeps money at Greenfield Cooperative Bank & NEYM Pooled Funds. Both probably OK but need to be verified. David will verify NEYM; Ka will contact GCB.

We discuss ways for MT to apply and even extend the findings described in the handout. Advise individual members on actions (e.g. their banks)? Encourage Friends to take proposals to their town gov’t, as currently in Northampton? Could PSC provide support & info to Friends who want to take the issue to their towns?

David clarifies that the main point is publicity -- not just to act but tell the CEO that we are doing this, send a letter to the local paper, etc.

Next steps:

● Verify GCB & NEYM

● David will draft letter from Mount Toby, for PSC to agree on at next meeting

● Present letter at MfB for approval, then send letter to local newspapers, business leaders such as CEO of Honeywell

● David will edit his handout into a newsletter article for the October newsletter

Letter writing 9/8/2019. We discussed several possible topics, eventually deciding on climate change, in connection with the international climate action week, 9/20-27. Dan & Ka will do it. We will send the letters to democratic candidates, asking them to directly address climate change in debates & speeches.

To-do for this:

● Assemble a list of the democratic candidates effective early Sept. with their electronic + mail contact info

● Check the letter-writing materials

● Prep a background para on the 9/20-27 action

● Announce this topic on first Sunday (9/1).

● Prepare a take-home with the info above.

Newsletter - each month we will put an article in the newsletter about that month’s letter-writing (which will already have happened), encouraging people who missed it to write. Same info as above to be used.

Shootings in places of worship: We agreed on a new and more timely approach to shootings in mosques, synagogues, etc. Next time there is a shooting in a place of worship/religious significance, the very next Sunday we will have letter-writing, for individuals to express their support. The letters will be bundled & sent together, to the local houses of worship of that type. We will simply announce this at rise of meeting (on the day of the letter-writing), and anyone from PSC can lead it.

11:40 hour? Jane + Ka were tasked with drafting a possible 11:40 hour. Jane describes the range of questions that could be addressed: new member recruitment? Focusing/sharpening PSC mission? Seeking broader support? What is our goal?

Ka + Jane describe a possible structure: a worship-sharing with the query “what does the peace testimony mean to us in 2019?” We would open the session with a 10-15 min ‘icebreaker’, for fun but also to get people thinking about past commitment to social justice issues. We agree to move ahead with an 11:40 proposal.

We agree that, as part of this effort, we need to publicize our meetings & encourage newcomers. Frequent, hopefully fun or humorous, reminders.

To-do:

● Jane & Ka will draft a written proposal, send it to all PSC members for input + approval.

● Diane will send it on to 11:40 committee.

● Diane will announce our next meeting (9/26) on Sunday 9/22 (or delegate this to another committee member) - preferably at least one other announcement about membership during Sept.

Proposed fundraiser for bathrooms. Diane is recruiting local singers for a concert in January. She will consider passing the hat at regular concerts too. The Committee will help with set-up, etc.

FCNL: Ka will not be at meeting 8/25 so Diane will give the update (provided in written form by Ka).

Next meeting: Thursday, September 26, 7pm at the Meetinghouse.

We closed with a period of silence.

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Supporting materials from meeting: handout on nuclear treaty alignment

At its May 2019 Meeting for Business Mt Toby agreed to begin the process of becoming Treaty Aligned.

As explained at that time, for faith communities, Treaty Alignment entails not holding any investments in any of the nuclear weapons companies and deciding not to buy any of their products or services in the future – unless they stop participation in the nuclear weapons industry.

The nuclear weapons companies are listed on the website of nuclearban.us and are:

AECOM

Aerojet Rocketdyne

Airbus

BAE Systems

Bechtel

BWX Technology (Babcock and Wilcox)

Boeing

Jacobs Engineering

Charles Stark Draper Lab

Engility Holdings (recently purchased by Science Applications International Corp. SAIC)

Leonardo Finmeccanica

Fluor

General Dynamics

Honeywell International

Huntington Ingalls Industries

Larsen & Toubro

Lockheed Martin

Moog

Northrop Grumman

Orbital ATK

Raytheon

Safran

Serco

Thales

Textron

Walchandnagar Industries

Many of these companies are well-known defense contractors, others are small firms that specialize in functions necessary to nuclear weapons. A name recognized by many is Honeywell. This firm has a number of consumer products that are used by many. Its primary nuclear-related activity is management of the National Security Campus in Kansas City, MI, where 85% of non-nuclear components for US nuclear weapons are produced.

The specific steps to Treaty Alignment are:

1. Determine whether the meeting has any investments in the companies involved in nuclear weapons or products being purchased from those companies.

2. The decision to divest from nuclear weapons companies and to boycott their products until they are no longer in the nuclear weapons business should be accompanied by letters to the CEOs of those companies informing them of this decision.

The meetings funds are held in two locations: Greenfield Cooperative Bank and the New England Yearly Meeting Pooled Funds.

Greenfield Cooperative Bank reinvests deposits locally in loans, mortgages, etc. The organization “Don’t Bank on the Bomb” maintains lists of banks and other investors who invest in nuclear weapons companies (www.dontbankonthebomb.com). Greenfield Cooperative Bank does not appear on this list. Many large banks do appear, such as Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Citigroup along with investment companies such as Fidelity.

New England Yearly Meeting Pooled Funds has a policy that “The Board of Managers avoids investments that are inconsistent with Friends’ testimonies, including companies that depend upon war materials, alcoholic beverages, tobacco or gambling, and companies that conduct unfair employment practices or pollute the environment.” [Investment Guidelines, Section II.B, NEYM Pooled Funds, 17May, 2016].

Apparently, the meeting does not own, nor does it intend to purchase any products from these companies. This includes thermostats. Honeywell does have a line of consumer products (including Muck Boots).

Possible Next Steps:

a) (suggested by Tim Wallis) Confirm that Greenfield Cooperative Bank does not invest in these companies and that they have a policy of not investing in the future.

b) Confirm with NEYM Pooled Funds that they do not invest in any of these companies.

c) Write letter to Honeywell telling them we intend to advise members of our meeting to not buy products from Honeywell.

d) Write letter to banks telling them we intend to advise members of our meeting to not do business with them.