Comment Re:Dear Matthew (Score 1) 531
Note that the CEOs are not the free market. Neither the free market or the investors have any influence re CEO salaries and benefits. And also note that even when shareholders vote to reduce or limit a CEO's salary and benefits, the board (again, typically made up of other CEOs) can choose (and typically does) to ignore the shareholders' request. So no free market controls on CEO salaries and benefits, but there are on the employees'.
If the shareholders get ignored enough they will sell their stock in the company. If that keeps happening, people won't want to buy that stock. Then the value of the company goes down and the board has to take notice.