Occupy Wall Street Protest Gains Union Support

Social Media and Unions Are Helping Add Credibility and Start New Protests Nationwide

by Erin Scobie on October 5, 2011

As the Occupy Wall Street protests enter their third week, the movement is gathering support from more than just the grassroots college scene. Labor unions across the country have voiced their agreement and support. The added strength of these new protesters has helped the protest gain support while the use of Twitter, Facebook and other social media have helped the protests spread to numerous cities across the country.

The Occupy Wall Street protest in New York City was initially ignored by most mainstream media or was criticized as a rabble without any particular cause. Indeed, many protestors have reasons for why they are there. The shared belief among them, however, is that of the 99 percent.

The 99 percent statistic is in regards to how 1 percent of the nation’s population, the wealthiest percent, has a disproportionate influence on the lives and laws governing the other 99. Much of the criticism relates back to the recent budget crisis as well as the economic downturn and the debate over national healthcare reform.

According to Larry Hanley, the international president of the Amalgamated Transit Union, “It’s really simple. These young people on Wall Street are giving voice to many of the problems that working people in America have been confronting over the last several years. These young people are speaking for the vast majority of Americans who are frustrated by the bankers and brokers who have profited on the backs of hard-working people. While we battle it out day after day, month after month, the millionaires and billionaires on Wall Street sit by — untouched — and lecture us on the level of our sacrifice.”

The Occupy Wall Street Movement has spread largely thanks to social media rather than a core group of leaders. Many of the protestors have cited the recent uprisings in the Middle East and Africa as inspiration for this method of social unrest. The protest uses the hashtag #occupywallstreet.

According to a Gallup poll, 81 percent of all Americans are dissatisfied with how the government is being run. This opinion is bipartisan with 65 percent of Democrats and 92 percent of Republicans voicing the same answer.

Similar protests have sprung up in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and smaller cities like Hartford, Conn. and Savannah, Georgia. It is unknown when they will come to an end, though the New York protests have called for “months” of occupation.

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