AFL-CIO rally on Wall Street
'NO BUSINESS AS USUAL'
By Heather Cottin
New York
The old union song "Which side are you on?" with a few new
words reverberated through the chasms of Wall Street on July
30:
"They say in New York City,
There are no neutrals there
You're either with the unions
Or with the millionaires."
Speakers at the noontime rally, called by the AFL-CIO,
included laid-off workers and the head of the national labor
federation. The event, while not extremely large or militant,
marked the first time in decades that top leaders of the labor
movement had brought the issue of jobs to the citadel of U.S.
capitalism.
The youth division of Service Employees Local 32-BJ chanted,
"We're fired up, can't take it no more," and "Workers' rights
are under attack! What're we gonna do? Act up! Fight back!" The
crowd stayed for an hour despite 96-degree heat.
Barbara Johnsoan, a laid-off Enron worker from Houston,
spoke about the thousands of jobless workers like herself who
have been fired without severance pay, health care or wages
after the bosses stole their pensions. From the podium she said
that Enron was non-union, but "If I had it to do again, joining
a UNION would be my first call of duty!"
AFL-CIO National President John Sweeney called for
government action in the face of rising layoffs and corporate
fraud. The Service Employees, Iron Workers, American Federation
of Teachers, CSEA, UNITE and other unions had representatives
in the crowd of hundreds that filled Broad and Wall streets
opposite the New York Stock Exchange.
32-BJ kept up the chants. "The workers, united, will never
be defeated," "I don't know but I been told, workers' wages are
mighty low!"
Sweeney announced plans for a "No More Business as Usual"
campaign to be kicked off on Labor Day, and a national day of
action on Oct. 19 that would focus on the November elections.
He urged unions to rally support for laws and legislators who
would "play by the rules." He called on Congress to rescind tax
breaks for the rich.
Sweeney said that 20 percent of the stocks on Wall Street
were owned by the pension plans of U.S. workers. He noted that
40 million people live in union households. Although this
represents a mighty number and a potential threat to Wall
Street's power, Sweeney's talk was conciliatory in tone. More
"corporate accountability," he said, would rid Wall Street of
"pirates" and "put integrity back in the system." He urged
legislation to protect workers' pensions. He did not speak of
direct action by the workers in defense of their rights and
economic interests.
The AFL-CIO leader said that the Wall Street "stewards of
those [corporate] stocks" should "return to standards of
decency and morality." He called on the government to "restore
confidence" in the system, and urged business to reform so that
workers could have "faith in their employers."
As Sweeney spoke, a hand-lettered sign rose in the crowd,
reading, "Corporate responsibility is not enough." In general,
however, the crowd applauded his remarks. Wall Street employees
from many levels walked by as the rally proceeded. There was
none of the hostility that greeted anti-war rallies on Wall
Street back in the 1960s and 1970s.
Lester Muata Greene, president of the Coalition of Black
Trade Unionists, told Workers World that while the rally was
not very large, workers will be pushing the unions to "do what
needs to be done. There was a lull after September 11, but
people are starting to realize they have to take action."
In a short interview, ex-Enron worker Johnsoan said she had
been unable to get a job in Houston because of her outspoken
opposition to the company. Johnsoan said that in bankruptcy
cases, the workers ought to be paid off first.
She noted that the new bankruptcy law agreed to by Congress
favors the bankers, the same people who have benefited from all
the tax breaks and the Enron scandal. In addition, Johnsoan
said, recent "Corporate Accountability" legislation passed by
Congress lets boards of directors "get off entirely" when
executive officers are caught in criminal acts. Meanwhile,
unemployment and economic hardship are growing.
"If this economy doesn't come back," she said, "there's
going to be a war here in the U.S."
The 32-BJ youth chanted, "No justice, no peace."
Reprinted from the Aug. 8, 2002, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyrighted
under a Creative
Commons License.
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