Public Employee Press

Forum: Organized labor marches with Occupy Wall Street

"Can the labor movement and Occupy Wall Street march down the same road?"

A forum at the City University's Murphy Institute attracted a full house Jan. 27 as panelists addressed this provocative question. "OWS opened our political imagination," said labor historian Steve Fraser, who moderated the panel.

DC 37 Organizing Director Mario Dartayet-Rodriguez told of the rising economic inequality that provoked the strong response of OWS and discussed similarities and differences between the two movements.

"Only the labor movement has a sustained critique of capitalism. Only the unions could turn out members who were willing to put their bodies on the line at 6 a.m. with little notice to defend Zucotti Park against the threat to shut it down. The central issues for both movements are power and equity," he said, "but tensions are inevitable in building a movement to represent the 99 percent."

Transport Workers Union Local 100 President John Samuelsen noted that both movements are benefiting from working together. "OWS's focus on growing inequality, joblessness, rule by the banks and their efforts to make working families pay for it resonated with us," he said.

One major difference is between labor's hierarchical governing structure and the "horizontal" democracy of OWS. "OWS has helped the labor movement move out of its stagnation," Samuelsen said, "but spontaneity inside a union is incredibly difficult." As huge as the Foley Square march to OWS seemed, he said, "That was just a fraction of the unions here. Labor needs to do a far better job in mobilizing."

DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts, who was not at the panel, later praised OWS for focusing national attention on the huge gap between the wealthy 1 percent and the rest of Americans who are out of work or struggling to save their jobs. "I'm very proud of the alliance we forged with OWS, who fought with us to stop layoffs," she said.