Teamsters Vote Official Support of Occupy Wall Street

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International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Nov 15, 2011, 05:15 ET

Teamsters General Executive Board Passes Resolution Following Eviction in New York

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The General Executive Board of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters unanimously passed a resolution today supporting the right of protesters at Occupy Wall Street to assemble at Liberty Park. The Teamsters further commended New York Supreme Court Judge Lucy Billings for issuing a restraining order this morning restoring protesters' constitutional rights.

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"You can draw a direct line from the Wisconsin protests in the winter to Occupy Wall Street to the overwhelming rejection of an anti-union ballot question in Ohio," said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa. "Occupy Wall Street is bringing new energy to a fight that labor has been engaged in from the beginning: The fight for an economy that works for everybody, not just the 1 percent."

Today's vote by the Teamsters' 24-member General Executive Board came at an already-scheduled meeting at the union's headquarters in Washington. The board, after learning of the evictions, which included a New York City councilman and a district leader, immediately ordered a resolution of support be drafted.

Hoffa said rank-and-file Teamsters have participated in Occupy Wall Street actions throughout the country. Teamsters protected encampments in San Francisco and New York, fed Occupy Oakland, led rallies in Cleveland and Chicago, marched in Occupy Chattanooga and supported the movement from Maine to California. Occupy Wall Street protesters have taken direct action against Sotheby's for locking out 43 Teamsters art handlers in New York, while Occupy Chicago protesters rallied against private-equity firm Madison Dearborn in Chicago.

The resolution states, in part, "just as 'Occupy Wall Street' demands that the nation respond to the unrelenting pressure on the middle class, on workers and on the unemployed, the Teamsters have exposed the 'War on Workers' being waged by billionaires and CEOs who seek to blame working people for the state of the economy and to 'fix' the economy by giving to the rich and taking from the middle class."

To view the entire resolution, go to http://www.teamster.org/content/occupy-wall-street-resolution.

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @teamsterpower.

SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters