Saqib Bhatti is the executive director of the Action Center on Race and the Economy.
Retirement systems and municipal treasuries hold billions of dollars of investments in companies like Tesla and nations like Israel. That means those funds hold enormous potential leverage over such companies and countries if they can credibly threaten divestment.
Chicago’s working-class neighborhoods have been exploited by predatory financial institutions and starved of desperately needed investment. Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson could change that by creating a public bank.
Unions must expand beyond narrow bargaining to challenge those who hold wealth and power at the highest levels.