Slowly but steadily, the grassroots “occupation” of Wall Street has attracted increased attention, sparking solidarity demonstrations nationwide, including one set to begin in Minneapolis on Friday.
Several unions and labor federations have rallied behind the Occupy Wall Street protesters. Thousands of union activists swelled the protesters’ ranks during a march and rally Wednesday afternoon.
Osha Karow, a spokesperson for organizers of Occupy Minnesota, said a handful of unions have been loosely involved in planning the local demonstration, which will begin at 9 a.m. Friday in Government Plaza downtown Minneapolis – or the “People’s Plaza,” as protesters will call it – and continue through the weekend.
“The occupy movement is all about creating a unified voice for everybody, including unions, to speak for the 99 percent,” Karow said. “We’re the taxpayers that are people just like you and me. We’re union workers, college students, the elderly … who don’t have the loopholes that get the other 1 percent out of having to pay taxes.”
Of course, that’s a message several labor unions have been preaching for years.
In June more than 1,000 members of National Nurses United marched on Wall Street in protest, and the local labor-backed coalition Minnesotans for a Fair Economy staged a string of demonstrations outside local offices of big banks like Wells Fargo and Bank of America this summer. Another is planned for Oct. 14.
“It’s our belief we were out ahead of the game on this,” said Bernadine Engeldorf, a member of the Minnesota Nurses Association and a vice president of National Nurses United. “We’ve had our eye on Wall Street for some time.”
Working on the frontlines of the nation’s health care system, Engeldorf said, nurses see firsthand the toll this recession has taken on the “99 percent.”
A nurse in a mental-health facility, Engeldorf said she sees joblessness and economic pressures turn to “depression and thoughts of suicide” among her patients. “It’s a natural connection for nurses,” she added.
Earlier this week, National Nurses United issued a press release “welcoming” the Occupy Wall Street campaign and solidarity events in cities like Minneapolis. Engeldorf said she and other nurses are “hoping to be involved” in Occupy Minnesota this weekend.
“I’ve had people calling me from Mankato, Duluth and the metro area,” Engeldorf said. “They want to know, ‘Where are we at? Are we going to be there?’”
Occupy Minnesota, which acts on the consensus of a “general assembly” that will meet regularly during the protest, has established a committee focused on outreach to supportive organizations like unions and labor federations. To contact the committee, e-mail.
Michael Moore edits The Union Advocate, the official publication of the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation. This article is reprinted from the federation\'s website.
For more information
See the national website reporting union involvement in Occupy Wall Street activities.
Share
Slowly but steadily, the grassroots “occupation” of Wall Street has attracted increased attention, sparking solidarity demonstrations nationwide, including one set to begin in Minneapolis on Friday.
Several unions and labor federations have rallied behind the Occupy Wall Street protesters. Thousands of union activists swelled the protesters’ ranks during a march and rally Wednesday afternoon.
Osha Karow, a spokesperson for organizers of Occupy Minnesota, said a handful of unions have been loosely involved in planning the local demonstration, which will begin at 9 a.m. Friday in Government Plaza downtown Minneapolis – or the “People’s Plaza,” as protesters will call it – and continue through the weekend.
“The occupy movement is all about creating a unified voice for everybody, including unions, to speak for the 99 percent,” Karow said. “We’re the taxpayers that are people just like you and me. We’re union workers, college students, the elderly … who don’t have the loopholes that get the other 1 percent out of having to pay taxes.”
Of course, that’s a message several labor unions have been preaching for years.
In June more than 1,000 members of National Nurses United marched on Wall Street in protest, and the local labor-backed coalition Minnesotans for a Fair Economy staged a string of demonstrations outside local offices of big banks like Wells Fargo and Bank of America this summer. Another is planned for Oct. 14.
“It’s our belief we were out ahead of the game on this,” said Bernadine Engeldorf, a member of the Minnesota Nurses Association and a vice president of National Nurses United. “We’ve had our eye on Wall Street for some time.”
Working on the frontlines of the nation’s health care system, Engeldorf said, nurses see firsthand the toll this recession has taken on the “99 percent.”
A nurse in a mental-health facility, Engeldorf said she sees joblessness and economic pressures turn to “depression and thoughts of suicide” among her patients. “It’s a natural connection for nurses,” she added.
Earlier this week, National Nurses United issued a press release “welcoming” the Occupy Wall Street campaign and solidarity events in cities like Minneapolis. Engeldorf said she and other nurses are “hoping to be involved” in Occupy Minnesota this weekend.
“I’ve had people calling me from Mankato, Duluth and the metro area,” Engeldorf said. “They want to know, ‘Where are we at? Are we going to be there?’”
Occupy Minnesota, which acts on the consensus of a “general assembly” that will meet regularly during the protest, has established a committee focused on outreach to supportive organizations like unions and labor federations. To contact the committee, e-mail.
Michael Moore edits The Union Advocate, the official publication of the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation. This article is reprinted from the federation\’s website.
For more information
See the national website reporting union involvement in Occupy Wall Street activities.