...’Occupy’ demonstrations get support from labor at all levels
(From Page 1)
as 200 spent the night in Zucotti Park
and Occupy Wall Street was born.
Their slogan, “We are the 99 percent” is
meant to draw attention to the great di-
vide between the wealthiest and the
rest.
At first, the camp got little attention,
but on Sept. 24, police arrested 80 pro-
testers. Video footage of police pepper-
spraying a group of women demonstra-
tors went viral online, sparking public
outrage and media coverage.
On Sept. 28, 700 members of the
Air Line Pilots Association, in their
Continental and United Airlines uni-
forms, marched in support of the Oc-
cupy Wall Street protesters. That night,
38,000-member Transport Workers
Union Local 100, representing New
Corn Nuts
PAGE 4
York City’s public transit workers,
voted to support Occupy Wall Street,
and called for an Oct. 5 rally and march
to Foley Square.
At that point, union support grew
daily. The National Nurses Union,
Communications Workers of America,
United Food and Commercial Workers,
the United Auto Workers, and 1199
Hospital and Health Care Workers/
SEIU joined the Transport Workers for
the Oct. 5 mass march, which drew
15,000 people. Amalgamated Transit
Union (ATU) President Larry Hanley
urged 200 local presidents in a confer-
ence call to get their members out into
the streets for Occupy demonstrations.
United Auto Workers (UAW) President
Bob King committed people and
money for supplies.
Within a week, there were Occupy
events in dozens of other cities. On Oct.
15, 951 actions took place in 82 coun-
tries.
Occupy has also spread to other lo-
cations in Oregon and Southwest
Washington, and Facebook groups has
formed even for Occupy Cottage
Grove.
Oregon has seen demonstrations
with union involvement in Bend, Ash-
land, Salem, Eugene, Roseburg, and
Corvallis, as well as in Vancouver,
Washington.
AFL-CIO President Richard
Trumka announced that the labor fed-
eration stands with Occupy Wall Street:
“Participants in Occupy Wall Street are
… declaring that ‘We are the 99 per-
cent’ because our system is desperately,
decisively out of whack. The top 1 per-
cent is pocketing massive profits and
dominating our politics while
everyone else struggles to
make ends meet.”
“The brave students,
workers, and unemployed
Americans occupying Wall
Street have shaken the con-
science of our nation,” said
Service Employees Interna-
tional Union (SEIU) Presi-
dent Mary Kay Henry Oct. 5,
pledging that her union
would join protesters in the
streets. “The crowds and
demonstrations will only get
larger and louder as more
Americans find the courage
inside themselves to stand up
and demand Wall Street
CEOs and millionaires pay
their fair share to create good
Though they expressed it in different ways,
jobs now.”
protesters’ message is clear: Wall Street is
So when New York Mayor
making life worse for the 99 percent of
Michael Bloomberg moved to
Americans who aren’t part of the economic
oust Occupy Wall Street from
elite.
the park, several hundred
thousand people signed on-
line petitions — including over 20,000 handed out breakfast foods the follow-
collected in just two hours by the AFL- ing morning.
As the encampment continued,
CIO. Bloomberg backed down, and Oc-
SEIU donated port-a-potties, and
cupy Wall Street continues.
In Portland, the Occupy Wall Street brought food, canopies and supplies.
AFSCME Locals 189, 88, and 328
movement arrived Oct. 6. Protesters
gathered at noon at Waterfront Park, passed resolutions encouraging mem-
marched through downtown chanting, bers to participate, and pledged $1,000
“Banks got bailed out, we got sold out.” donations.
ATU Local 757 endorsed Occupy
They rallied 10,000-strong in Pioneer
Courthouse Square, filling the massive Portland and sent the Oregon AFL-CIO
plaza elbow-to-elbow. They then $1,000 to help feed the protest site.
“Occupy folks all over the country
marched to Lownsdale and Chapman
parks, where an overnight encampment are delivering the message that Wall
Street and the corporate elite have
was set up.
Joining the Oct. 6 march were mem- caused this recession and are doing
bers of Laborers Local 483, the Inter- nothing to help us get out of it,” said
national Longshore and Warehouse Ken Allen, Oregon AFSCME executive
Union, IBEW, Roofers, Carpenters, director.
Oregon AFSCME and the Oregon
Painters, International Alliance of The-
atrical Stage Employees, SEIU, Team- AFL-CIO are working on a labor
sters and other unions. An 11-member march for Wednesday, Oct. 26.
crew from Laborers Local 483 handed Marchers will gather at 5 p.m. at Direc-
out snacks to the protesters, and a crew tor Park and march to the protest camp
from Laborers Local 296 and 483 at about 5:30.
See’s Candies
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
OCTOBER 21, 2011