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Union Support for General Strike and Protests Nov. 2

by Steven Argue
Police viciously attacked Occupy Oakland with tear gas, flash grenades and projectile weapons. Eighty five people were arrested. Scott Olsen, a 24 year-old Iraq war veteran, was shot in the head by the police with a projectile. Scott was seriously injured and was in critical condition.

In response, on Wednesday October 26, 2011 in reclaimed Oscar Grant Plaza. 1607 people voted. 1484 voted in favor of the resolution, 77 abstained and 46 voted against it, passing the proposal at 96.9%. The General Assembly operates on a modified consensus process that passes proposals with 90% in favor and with abstaining votes removed from the final count.

The following is important union support for the call for the general strike and mass protests.
oakland_police_victim.jpg
[*Note, photo above is not Scott Olsen.]


In this post:

1. Defend Occupy Oakland With The Muscle of Organized Labor [A statement from leading ILWU and IBU members supporting the protests and general strike called for November 2 by Occupy Oakland.]

2. Resolution Passed by Carpenters Local 713 to Join the General Strike and Protests


DEFEND OCCUPY OAKLAND
WITH THE MUSCLE OF ORGANIZED LABOR

Demonstrators in downtown Oakland protesting the bank-driven economic crisis were brutally attacked by police from 18 Bay Area agencies on Tuesday Oct. 25. Mayor Quan, who was supported by ILWU Local 10 in the recent elections, ordered this bloody assault. Cops used potentially lethal weapons to break up the occupation of Frank Ogawa (now renamed Oscar Grant) Plaza just as they did in the port against anti-war protesters in 2003. That police attack was even criticized by the UN Human Rights Commission and ended up costing Oakland over $2 million in civil suits.

Then-Local 10 longshoreman Billy Kepo’o was hit in the hand by a police tear gas canister causing a bloody mess. Now, Iraqi war vet, Scott Olsen, was hit in the head with a police projectile, causing a fracture and putting him in critical condition in Highland Hospital. This is exactly what killed one of the strikers in Seattle in the Big Strike of 1934. That history of police violence against strikers is why our Local 10 Constitution bans cops from membership in our union.

Last year, Local 10 shutdown all ports to protest the police killing of young Oscar Grant. This year ILWU has been supporting Occupy Wall Street. Just last Monday the San Francisco Labor Council declared the Occupy San Francisco and Occupy Wall Street “sanctioned union strike lines” offering the protesters an umbrella of union protection.

ILWU is under attack from PMA employers, not just here in the port of Oakland but especially in Longview, Washington. Our jobs and the survival of the ILWU as a fighting union are at stake. We heard the report of our Longview Local 21 brothers at our union meeting last week and we pledged our solidarity, just as we did for other unions under attack, whether in Charleston, South Carolina or Madison, Wisconsin.

At the same time there is an outrage at the bankers and the capitalist crisis which has caused massive hardship on the working class. Occupy Oakland protesters have called for a General Strike on November 2. Whether this actually means real strike action by workers depends in large part on union participation. Local 10 has always been in the lead in the labor movement and all eyes are on us. As a first step, in defending our union and others against economic and political repression, we need to mobilize our members to participate in the rally and occupation November 2 in Oscar Grant Plaza. Shut it down!

Anthony Leviege #9576, Ronnie Armour #9922, Troy Bell #9837, Tremaine Waters #9202, Richard Washington #9402, Anthony Manning #9986, Odis Rucker #9811, Robert Grissom #101284, Jack Heyman #8780 (ret.), Samantha Levens (S.F. IBU), Robert Irminger (S.F. IBU), Howard Keylor #220447 (ret.), Clarence Thomas #8718

October 28, 2011

********

Carpenters Local 713 represents 3,000 mostly private sector construction workers in Alameda County, California and passed the following motion last night (Thurs October 27th,2011) by a standing vote with an overwhelming majority.
Please feel free to distribute widely. Thanks.
...
Local 713 of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters stands in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement. We support the right of all working people to organize and peacefully assemble to demand their rights.

We further agree that the 1% should not continue to go untaxed while the 99% face layoffs, pay and benefit cuts, foreclosures and the closing of our children’s schools and our public services.

We further strongly condemn the police brutality used against the Occupy Oakland movement and the devastating injury inflicted on Iraq veteran Scott Olsen.

We further resolve to support the call of the 2,000 Oaklanders at Occupy Oakland for a one-day strike in Oakland for Wednesday November 2nd, 2011, to protest our country’s rising inequality and the brutal actions of the police in the city of Oakland, California.
scott_olsen.jpg
It has now been reported in the Guardian that despite waking up, Oakland Police victim and Iraq War veteran Scott Olsen cannot talk due to the brain injury caused by police violence. He has sustained an injury to the speech center of his brain.
§Where to Gather
by Steven Argue
PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY

occupyoakland.org/strike

Liberate Oakland
... Shut Down the 1%
General Strike & Mass Day of Action
called for by Occupy Oakland

Everyone to the Streets!
No Work! No School!

Converge on Downtown Oakland
to help shut down the city

mass gatherings at 14th & Broadway:
9:00am • 12 noon • 5:00pm
All banks and corporations must close down for the day or we will march on them

• Solidarity with the worldwide Occupy Movement
• End Police Attacks on Our Communities
• Defend Oakland Schools & Libraries
• Against an economic system built on inequality & corporate power that perpetuates racism, sexism & the destruction of the environment

occupyoakland.org/strike

Español:

A liberar Oakland
A Cerrar al 1%
Huelga General y Día de Acciones Masivas
convocado por Occupy Oakland

Mie, 2 noviembre 2011
¡Todo el mundo a la calle!
¡Ni trabajo, ni escuela!

Punto de reunión en Downtown Oakland
para ayudar a paralizar la ciudad

Reuniones masivas en la 14 con Broadway
9:00am • 12 del medio día • 5:00pm
Todos los bancos y las empresas deben cerrar todo el día o los bloquearemos

• Solidaridad con el movimiento internacional Occupy
• No más ataques de la policía en nuestras comunidades
• Defendamos las escuelas y bibliotecas de Oakland
• Contra un sistema político basado en la desigualdad y el poder corporativo que perpetua el racismo, sexismo y la destrucción del medio ambiente.

occupyoakland.org/strike
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Christian Barry
Fri, Oct 28, 2011 10:00PM
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