May Day Celebrates the 99%

Information & updates on the permitted, family-friendly May Day March & Rally organized by the Portland May Day Coalition.

Oct 29, 2011

Occupy Portland Stands in Solidarity with Labor The statement below was distributed at the Labor Solidarity March, October 26th, 2011 As occupiers at Occupy Portland, we stand in solidarity with organized and unorganized working people, the underemployed and unemployed masses of Oregon. We object to corporate greed and the systematic destruction of workers rights and living wage jobs; and we call for substantive economic and political changes that empower and represent the people! On October 6th, Occupy Portland kicked off with dozens of local labor unions and thousands of other workers in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street. We are the 99% and we demand economic and political systems that work for the 99%! It is objectionable that corporations dominate power, wreck havoc on the lives of ordinary people and desecrate our natural environment. Together, we insist on living wage jobs, fair labor practices and workers rights across all sectors of production. We insist on economic justice and support for our unemployed, underemployed and unemployable brothers and sisters. The occupiers of Occupy Portland greatly appreciate the support of organized labor and the people of Portland. You have contributed immensely to the support and operation of the occupied camp, including everything from portable toilets and sanitation, to food and coffee, to shelter from the rain and cold; and many more direct, in-kind and anonymous donations. You have been loud and outspoken in your support of the occupation and for the national Occupy Movement. As occupiers at Occupy Portland, we understand that we represent only a small fraction of people who are giving visibility to this call for change. And like you, we will not call for an end to Occupy Portland until we see substantive economic and political change in Oregon and the U.S. Please continue to give your support to the Occupy Portland occupation in whatever way you can. Many resources are needed to support the occupy camp. Passionate people are needed to join working groups and committees. Supporters are needed to give visibility to the movement by their presence in and around the camp. You can find a list of these needs on needs page the OccupyPDX.org website. You are invited to contact the Media-Press Committee at Press@OccupyPDX.org for ways to connect messaging to a wider audience; and you are also invited to join with the local-national Outreach Committee at Outreach@OccupyPDX.org to link up occupation work with broader communities. To help with outreach specifically to labor groups (including immigrants rights and unemployed), email: maydayoutreach@gmail.com.