Thousands of union workers joined protesters marching in downtown Manhattan Wednesday for Occupy Wall Street’s largest rally yet against corporate greed.
Members of the city’s biggest labor unions put on their marching boots and picked up banners to walk in solidarity with the hundreds of people who have camped out in the Financial District for more than two weeks to protest the excesses of the richest 1%.
Twelve thousand people from around the world watched on an internet live stream as thousands jammed into the square.
“It’s an epic march,” said John Samuelson, President of the Transport Workers Union Local 100, who put a call out to his 35,000 bus and subway workers urging them to march Wednesday.
“It’s organized labor coming together to say that working families have had enough of \[dealing with\] the unfair burden of the economic problems.”
After a round of speeches, the marchers planned to head back down Park Row and Broadway to Zuccotti Park, in the shadow of the World Trade Center site.
Organizers had obtained a permit, but all eyes were on the NYPD. Mass arrests at Saturday’s rally helped raise the profile of the demonstration and brought in new recruits.
Members of the United Federation Teachers, United Auto Workers, United Healthcare Workers and Public Employees Union DC37 were among those joining the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators.
Union nurses in uniform joined, to huge cheers from the crowd.
At least 39 unions and community organizations were part of the march, including MoveOn.org and the Coalition for the Homeless.
Citywide student walkouts were also planned.
“Together we will voice our belief that the American dream will live again, that the American way is to help one another succeed,” Occupy Wall Street’s spokesman Patrick Bruner said in a statement.
“Our voice, our values, will be heard.”
In Washington, Democratic pols began to speak up for the movement.
“The silent masses aren’t so silent anymore,” said House Democratic Caucus chairman Rep. John Larson of Connecticut.
“In New York and across the country, thousands of Americans have taken to the streets, certain of the morality of their message: bringing fairness to Main Street.”
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3 Responses
The unions are probably a large part of the problem. They command massive bailouts (bought with campaign “contributions” from politicians), while ripping off their “members” through involuntary dues (at least in states like New York which require union dues as a condition of employment – about half the states have a “right to work” to outlaw compulsory union membership). If the “occupy Wall Street” movement ever was a spontaneous anti-establishment movement, it is thus transformed into a squeeze play by the socialist wing of the Democratic party into a pro-establishment ruse. If someone really wants to take Wall Street down, join the “Tea party” (and quickly, a new round of “bailouts” is going to be triggered by the European defaults).
This is the absolute worst thing for obama. They have literally nobody but the extreme left who supports this. They have no idea what they even want done. This is nothing like the tea party where roiv america supports in some way. Obama is gonna stay far far away from this
This is all coming from Obama’s minions who are trying desperately to show they can make a meaner party than the Tea Party. The problem with these antisemite communists anarchists etc., is that the Taxed Enough Already Party is a grassroots “group” made up of people who are not living off the hog like these oysvorfs are.
BTW why isn’t the mainstream media reporting about all the antisemitism being spouted by these mamzayrim?????? Instead the media will focus on some imagined “racism” in the Tea Party rallies. What a joke!!!!
These animals have no life, can’t have a life, have no job thanks to obama and are just wastes of protoplasm. Not to mention they are one scary bunch who think this is chas v’sholom 1933 again.
For all you unionites out there belonging to the TWU or the teachers union or any other union involved with these scum of the earth, I hope you are happy to see your union dues supporting the downfall of the USA.