AN open letter from the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ (OWS) movement that began in New York and spread world wide, calls for all workers organised in their trade unions, students and youth to build for a mass march on Wall Street of hundreds of thousands to take place on Saturday, November 5.
The letter reads: ‘We, the undersigned Wall Street protesters and union members, think the response to Occupy Wall Street (OWS) has shown that broad layers of working people are ready to support a movement that stands up to the ongoing attempt to solve the economic crisis on the backs of working-class and poor people.
‘Union solidarity has contributed a growing momentum of protest that we should build on and not let fade away.
‘To that end, we have endorsed the motion shown below that calls on the NYC Central Labour Council and other union organisations to build for a march of hundreds of thousands on Saturday, November 5, with the following slogans and demands:
• Working People Shouldn’t Pay for a Crisis That They Didn’t Make!
• No to Layoffs, Budget and Service Cuts!
• Create Jobs, Build Infrastructure with a Federal Program of Public Works!
• Stop Police Harassment of the Wall Street Occupation!
‘We will be leafleting the next CLC delegates meeting on Wednesday, October 19, starting at 5:30pm at:
IBT Local 237
First Floor Meeting Room
216 West 14th Street (between 8th and 7th avenue)
New York, NY
‘We hope to draw attention to the opportunity for and need for broader action, and to provide an opportunity and focus for those in and outside the unions to agitate for the unions and other organisations to commit themselves to broader action.
‘We ask activists and organisations who see the need for this to:
• Endorse this call;
• publicise this motion and letter on websites and through other means;
• raise similar motions in unions and other organisations; and
• help build for the leafleting of the CLC meeting.
‘We wish there was more time to circulate this proposal more broadly than we already have to allow for more discussion and improvement, but the next CLC meeting where we can push for action is just days away on October 19.
‘We trust that activists understand our sense of urgency and support this initiative in the spirit of solidarity that inspires it.
‘For more information or to be listed as endorsing, please e-mail us at .
‘Also, when this and related motions are voted on in other unions or organisations, please let us know!’
Printed below is the Motion set out by Occupy Wall Street for a Massive March on Wall Street:
‘Whereas, the response to Occupy Wall Street (OWS) has shown that broad layers of working people are ready to support a movement that stands up to the ongoing attempt to solve the economic crisis on working and poor people’s backs.
‘Whereas, unions can best defend their members’ jobs, wages and working conditions by standing up in defence of all working people.
‘Whereas, OWS and trade unions’ solidarity with the protests have created momentum toward a fight-back in defence of working people’s living standards against layoffs and budget cutbacks that should be built on and not allowed to fade.
‘Whereas, it is necessary for our struggles to go forward to bring into action much larger numbers of workers and other people facing the brunt of this economic crisis.
‘We move that:
‘1. This body call on its member unions as well as all other unions and community organisations to build a massive march on Wall Street of hundreds of thousands, mobilising organised and unorganised workers, on November 5, the first Saturday of next month,
‘2. That this protest raise demands that can unite all workers, poor people and all those facing the brunt of the crisis:
‘Working People Shouldn’t Pay for a Crisis That They Didn’t Make!
‘No to Layoffs, Budget and Service Cuts!
‘Create Jobs, Build Infrastructure with a Federal Program of Public Works!
‘Stop Police Harassment of the Wall Street Occupation!
‘3. And to this end, we appeal to other union bodies, council and federations around the country to organise similar protest actions across the country on November 5.’
Endorsers of this motion include a massive list of workers in their trade unions and youth and student organisations.
Meanwhile, on the West Coast of the US in Los Angeles in California, labour unions and immigrant rights groups rallied in support of the ‘Occupy LA’ movement.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside California Plaza in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon for a march and rally in support of the ‘Occupy Los Angeles’ movement.
The protesters from local labour unions and immigrant rights groups chose California Plaza, where some major banks such as Wells Fargo and big corporations such as AT&T are situated, as the starting point for their after-work march.
The protesters carried signs in multiple languages and chanted slogans against corporate greed outside the plaza and along the way to Los Angeles City Hall.
About 300 tents were set up along the north and south lawns of the hall by the protesters.
For the first time, there were signs in Chinese such as ‘Where is my American dream?’ and ‘My father is among the 99 per cent’ and ‘Big corporations should pay tax’. Those signs showed the frustration and anger among Chinese Americans.
The protesters shouted: ‘They say cut back, we say fight back!’
Since labour unions and immigrant rights groups are more experienced in street demonstrations, the march and rally seemed more organised.
Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles and one of the organisers of the rallies said that they were there to show support to the ‘Occupy Los Angeles’ movement.
She said people came out because their demands have been ignored, and now they wanted their voices heard by big corporations, members of the US Congress, the White House and local governments.
Salas said: ‘I hope the immigrant rights group can add strength to the growing Occupy movement in Los Angeles and elsewhere.’
She said immigrants in the United States were part of the 99 per cent, and many of them have lost their jobs and have been kicked out of their homes because of the foreclosures.
Edder Sipalay, a protester from the local labour union said: ‘We are here to make the “Occupy Wall Street” and “Occupy LA” movement bigger and stronger, so politicians and big corporations will value us.’
As the protesters arrived at the Los Angeles City Hall, a group of the union members would camp with ‘Occupy LA’ protesters.
