Fall 2011
Working people should take notice of Occupy Wall Street

I’ve been intrigued by the Occupy Wall Street phenomenon that is gaining traction across the country. It’s not a perfect movement by any means, but if it maintains its focus on the right goals, I wonder if it could be the proverbial pebble in the water that creates a huge wave of change.

The frustration of the Occupy participants with corporate greed and their disillusionment with America’s financial and political system are familiar emotions for union members. For decades we have fought against a corporate system that doesn’t pay its fair share into the economy and sends jobs and entire industries overseas.

These actions make billions in profits for the corporations, but when it comes time to negotiate a contract with the workers who contribute to their success, they attack our members’ wages and benefits.

Then, when we look to our elected officials to pass legislation that makes it easier for workers to organize, we’re often met with apathy or outright hostility, depending on the administration.

When politicians — like our president — prove to be ineffective, and when even an event as catastrophic as the financial collapse of 2008 doesn’t change Wall Street’s behavior, it’s time to look to new methods of change. That is the only way the middle class is going to survive in this country.

We’re expected to buy into the ’80s cliché that “greed is good,” but as this groundswell proves, people aren’t buying it. Workers certainly aren’t buying it, and that’s why working people — union and non-union, and from all industries — need to take ownership of this movement.

In order for Occupy Wall Street to be legitimized and recognized by the masses and those in power, the radical participants need to be pushed to the side. There’s no room in this grassroots organization for anarchists, communists or anyone who seeks to tear down this country rather than improve it.

By pushing the fringe groups to the side and creating a true worker movement, Occupy Wall Street could bring long overdue change to the way our country functions.

We need a movement that recognizes the shared goal of the American Dream and fights to help all workers achieve it.

Sincerely,
Brian String
President