Brian Renfroe, the national president, has come under fire in 2024, receiving formal charges of Abandoned Position and Dereliction/Neglect of Duty, Impaired Driving After Hours in a NALC Owned Vehicle, and Circulating False or Misleading Statements about a NALC officer during the start of negotiations. The executive council investigation recently acquitted him of the charges but revoked his driving privileges. Renfroe himself declared that the charges would not be a subject of the convention.

What's become clear to the membership is that this leadership is incapable of bargaining with the company and have failed the rank and file for the last 15 months. The carriers are rising up and are taking action by forming an opposition slate against national leadership, going by the name Concerned Letter Carriers (CLC).

Immediately after the presidential address, three members of the CLC went to each of the various stations on the convention floor with the intent to bring a motion to the floor that would force the president to read out the charges against him. After some discussion this vote was successful, with a margin of approximately 2100 to 1500.

Build a Fighting NALC (BFN), the new reform movement within the NALC which took shape in the late spring and early summer months, had their first in-person meeting where they had a panel of speakers discussing the need for change by making clear demands such as a $30 per hour starting wage, an end to Sorting and Delivery Centers, and the right to strike. BFN will be forming chapters in different cities in an effort to bring about more rank-and-file support.

On August 8, the delegate body heard the appeals of President Renfroe and agreed to uphold the decisions of the executive council.

There were a few contentious resolutions brought to the floor, with the largest being the case for open bargaining. The members of NALC want top to bottom transparency from national during contract negotiations so that members receive contract updates. The resolution called for public rallies in support of the bargaining efforts that would lead to real rank-and-file participation and bolster their positions at the table. While the strongest of such resolutions was unsuccessful, one of the other open bargaining resolutions was passed and national union will now be forced to hold rallies across the United States during contract negotiations. The resolution which would have forced transparency with rank-and-file members was shot down after national business agents stormed the mics to denounce the most popular solution brought to the convention.

The other big resolution was to demand an end to Sorting and Delivery Centers after Branch 3 in Buffalo was successful in its public campaign to stop the one being created in their district. However, business agents abused their power, coercing members from voting in favor and the resolution lost.

This is only the beginning of the reform movement within NALC. These demands are popular and felt amongst a wide base of the rank and file. Those at national, most clearly highlighted by President Renfroe, have forgotten what’s it’s like to be down on the shop floor fighting with the bosses. Build a Fighting NALC (BFN) and the opposition leadership slate of the Concerned Letter Carriers (CLC) represent a potential shift in direction for the membership and its leaders.

Fight Back! will carry updates as the election plays out and the reform movement develops.

#BostonMA #NALC #NationalAssocaitionofLetterCarriers #union #BFN #CLC

When the crowd began to disperse from the park after a speaking program, the Boston Police Department moved in aggressively, causing several tense standoffs between protesters and police. As the mass gathering dispersed, groups of thousands continued to march and protest at police stations and the Massachusetts State House.

Meanwhile in Brockton, the heavily African American city just south of Boston, clashes between protesters and police were more intense. The Brockton protest, led by Black youth, brought together several thousand protesters outside of the city’s downtown police department. The police and National Guard unleashed teargas and batons on the protesters in a conflict that continued throughout the evening. Several downtown businesses had their windows smashed and a Dunkin’ Donuts near the police station was burned down.

These events follow fierce clashes between police and protesters in the streets of downtown Boston two nights earlier on May 31. On that night, a crowd of some 20,000 protesters marched into downtown Boston. Police clashed with protesters throughout the march. As they reached downtown, many protesters – principally led by Black youth – unleashed their anger on corporate storefronts and the police forces. Many windows were smashed, and a number of people helped themselves to items from the stores that mainly cater to wealthy downtown businesspeople. 21 police cruisers were damaged during the course of the night, including one that was set on fire and completely destroyed on Tremont Street.

Boston city officials have followed the example of other politicians throughout the country in blaming ‘outside agitators’ for the destruction of property and conflicts with the police. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh described the May 31 protesters as “people who came into our city and chose to engage in acts of destruction and violence, undermining their message.” Others have alleged on social media that police caused the damage in order to frame peaceful protesters. A video showing police smashing out the windshield of one of their own vehicles has been widely circulated as support of this narrative. What this video fails to show is the earlier scene of a multi-racial group of protesters standing on top of the vehicle and kicking in the windshield.

Both of these narratives fail to capture the realities of the sharp struggle unfolding in the streets of greater Boston. Protests have taken many forms, but all have been led by the people of Boston and most have been led by Black youth. Police have certainly instigated a good number of the street clashes and it is easy to imagine the Boston Police Department trying to frame protesters. But this is not the primary thing happening in Boston in this moment. The primary thing is that the people of Boston, and especially Black people, are saying that they have had enough. Enough violence at the hands of the Boston Police Department. Enough of reading the names of people murdered by police throughout the country. Inspired by the Minneapolis Uprising, they have spent the last week harnessing their rage into a movement that has city officials shaking in fear. If the numbers gathered on June 2 are any indication, that movement will continue to grow.

#BostonMA #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd

Boston, MA – Workers and students packed into the office of Boston’s Chinese Progressive Association on April 27 to hear labor activists from the Philippines speak about the state of working-class struggle in their country. The event, sponsored by the Boston chapter of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), featured speakers Raymond “Mong” Palatino and Ed Cubello.

Palatino is the chairperson of BAYAN, an alliance of Filipino progressive organizations, in metro Manila. He guided the crowd through a brief overview of the history of the Philippines, leading up to the current regime of Rodrigo Duterte. He then introduced Ed Cubello, the chair of the Metro Manila chapter of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), the militant trade union center in the Philippines.

Cubello described the dire working conditions and poverty faced by much of the working class in the Philippines as well as efforts to organize and fight back led by the KMU. The speakers also addressed the increased repression faced by trade unionists under Duterte. The crowd was clearly impacted by these stories, with one worker in attendance simply saying (through a Cantonese interpreter), “They must be freed.”

The speakers noted the important role that international solidarity has played throughout the history of the Filipino people’s struggle. A recently passed resolution from the San Francisco Labor Council calling for an end to U.S. military aid to the Duterte regime was highlighted. Many of those in attendance committed to call for their unions and community organizations to engage in similar acts of solidarity.

#BostonMA #Labor #Philippines #PeoplesStruggles #BAYAN #KMU #Asia

The Boston workers are members of UNITE HERE Local 26, which has led a series of strikes and near strikes in university dining operations over the last several years, most notably at Harvard University. The Marriott workers have been in negotiations with the company for a new contract since spring but remain far apart on a number of key issues, including retirement and access to health insurance benefits. The union has brought its demands together under the slogan “One Job Should Be Enough.” According to Brooke Melanson, a bartender at the Westin Waterfront, the pay from one job is not enough to survive in the expensive Boston metropolitan area. “I am striking because I have to work three jobs to try and cover all my family’s expenses,” said Melanson. “Just like any parent, I want time with my children to see them grow up.”

On October 4, Marriott workers in San Francisco and San Jose joined the strike. The hotels out on strike include the Marriott Marquis, Marriott Union Square, the Palace Hotel, the St. Regis, the W, and the Westin St. Francis. Approximately 2500 workers are on strike across these hotels, bringing the total of number of Marriott strikers to over 4000. Anand Singh, president of San Francisco’s UNITE HERE Local 2, told a group of reporters that his union’s message to the Marriott corporation is that the union is “deadly serious about what we say.” Singh went on to say, “Our demands are not hollow demands and we will do whatever it takes.”

The strikes in Boston and California follow the citywide hotel strike in Chicago which began in early September. That strike, which originally involved 26 hotels, continues in four hotels at the time of writing. The Chicago strike did not specifically target the Marriott corporation, though several Marriott hotels which have now settled with UNITE HERE Local 1 were involved. UNITE HERE locals in several other major cities continue to negotiate with Marriott. Strike votes have been taken in Seattle, Detroit, Oakland and Hawaii. Workers in these cities could join the strike at any time.

#BostonMA #Boston #PeoplesStruggles #Strikes #HotelWorkers #Marriott

On Oct. 4, workers voted 316 to 2 to authorize a strike over a set of demands that was inspired in part by the 22-day strike at Harvard University. A key issue was workers’ low incomes, leading many to rely on public assistance to survive, even if they worked full time. Health care was the other main rallying point, as workers demanded affordability, citing lack of funds to seek medical care, or reliance on government health care.

The agreement includes wage increases that will bring full-time workers to $35,000 annually by 2019, and a dramatic increase to the number of full-time schedules available. The new contract will provide a total of $5.65 in hourly wage increases to all workers, across the board.

On health care, the agreement now provides an insurance plan that is paid for by the employer at 97%. In addition, workers were able to maintain access to a platinum-level plan with no takeaways.

The new contract provides enhanced protections for immigrant workers, strengthened non-discrimination language, including the addition of gender identity and expression, and additional sick days.

A new “snow days” provision elicited cheers; workers will now be able to use personal or vacation time if they are unable to come into work on days the state closes offices due to a blizzard or snow storm. Workers who are able to brave the elements to serve the campus will be paid time-and-a-half.

And, importantly, workers at Northeastern University will join the UNITE HERE Local 26 pension plan, allowing them to begin to accrue retirement benefits.

UNITE HERE Local 26 Lead Negotiation Michael Kramer said, “With the determination and leadership of the workers and students we have won an agreement that will be life-changing for our members and impactful in their communities. It raises the standard for campus food service workers across Boston whose value and importance in the university community is often forgotten.”

Northeastern dining worker and bargaining committee member Angela Bello states, “I am so proud of what we accomplished. It’s amazing to feel the power that workers have when we get together and are well organized. The ways this contract will impact our lives is almost hard to believe. Thank you to everyone who supported us and believed in us.”

UNITE HERE Local 26 represents nearly 10,000 members working in the hotel, gaming, food service and airport industries in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. UNITE HERE Local 26 members went on strike for 22 days at Harvard University in October 2016 to win sustainable annual income and affordable health care.

#BostonMA #UNITEHERELocal26

Boston, MA – Northeastern University dining hall workers voted 316 yes to 2 no on Oct. 4 to authorize a strike. They additionally announced that if no resolution is reached by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 10, they will strike. Picket lines would begin in the early morning hours of Oct. 11.

Inspired by the 22-day strike at Harvard University last fall, Northeastern workers are calling for the same two core demands: the ability to earn at least $35,000 a year for full-time work and affordable health care.

The average Northeastern food service worker made less than $22,000 last year, well below Boston’s median income of $35,000 a year. Because of this gap, many workers qualify for and rely on public assistance like low-income housing, food stamps and Mass Health.

“I am currently facing eviction from low-income housing in Boston, and I work full time at Northeastern,” said food service worker Roxanna Santana. “My daughter wants to go to college next year, but how can I possibly afford that when I am unable to save anything for my family's future?”

Also Oct. 4, the Boston City Council unanimously passed a resolution in support of the workers. More than 40 student groups have joined a coalition backing food service workers’ demands.

“I support dining service workers' call for dignity and justice in the cafeterias,” said second-year Northeastern law student Keally Cieslik. “3$5,000 a year and affordable health insurance are reasonable asks that a university like Northeastern should be proud to agree to. It's the right thing to do.”

“When I first came to Northeastern, the first people that made me feel like I was at home were dining hall workers in Stetson East. They make my day,” said second-year Northeastern student Rebeca Muñoz. “I'm here supporting them the same way that they have supported me every day.”

“We will continue negotiating this week with hopes of reaching a resolution that meets our modest demands,” said food service worker Angela Bello. “We can’t continue to live with what we earn as food service workers at Northeastern. If it’s going to take a strike to wake up Northeastern administrators to this crisis, we’ll put down our utensils and pick up picket signs next Wednesday.”

“It is shameful that workers at a multi-million dollar institution in the heart of Boston must make personal sacrifices to win the basics,” said UNITE HERE Local 26 Lead Negotiator Michael Kramer. “Northeastern administration doesn’t seem to have gotten the memo that poverty wages on campus are abhorrent to students, faculty and the surrounding communities. Northeastern needs to step up.”

#BostonMA #strike #Strikes #UNITEHERELocal26

The union has demanded that Northeastern agree to the same standard of a minimum annual income for full-time workers of $35,000 per year and affordable health care coverage. Local 26 has over 350 members on the Northeastern campus. A large majority of the Northeastern workforce is made up of immigrant and oppressed nationality workers. These workers previously captured media attention on Jan. 20 when they walked off their jobs in protest of the inauguration of Donald Trump.

In a room packed full of students and workers at Northeastern’s Curry Student Center, members of the union’s bargaining committee reiterated their commitment to these demands. At the front of the room was a display of photographs of over 300 workers who have already pledged to strike if an agreement is not reached. Union member Angela Bello announced that an official strike authorization vote will be held on Oct. 4. Bello described the mood of the workers as they prepare for the vote, saying, “We are proud – we are not scared.”

Northeastern dining hall worker Thomas Gross described the struggle of raising his daughter on the low wage paid at the university. Gross said that the situation has reached a point where all involved must make a decision. “Will you be silent or will you strive for more?” Gross asked the crowd. “Will you be afraid or will you stand up against injustice?” Gross stated that the 300 photos of his coworkers served as an answer to the questions that he posed – Northeastern workers will not be silent. Gross went on to say that he will be casting his vote for strike authorization “in his daughter’s name.”

After the announcement, workers and students streamed out of the room and rallied inside of the student center. Chants in English and Spanish filled the halls of the student center until Northeastern University police officers forced the demonstration outside. According to witnesses, Northeastern police ejected a reporter from Spanish language television station Telemundo as well as the union’s chief negotiator from the event before the speaking program began.

The police reaction was a clear indication of the growing tension between workers and their allies and the university administration. The workers were clearly undeterred. According to Gross, they have made their demands clear and are “going to do anything and everything to get it.”

#BostonMA #PeoplesStruggles #Massachusetts #NorthwesternUniversity

Boston, MA – Food service workers at Northeastern University launched a one-day strike on Jan. 20, the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration as president. A majority of the 375 workers employed in the university’s dining halls joined in the work stoppage to protest Trump’s policy proposals.

Shortly before noon, groups of Northeastern students filed into campus dining halls with signs expressing support for workers, immigrants rights, and denouncing Donald Trump. At noon, students began chanting in support of the workers as they walked away from their work stations and off of the job. Many students had walked out of classes as well.

The Northeastern strikers marched to the Boston Common, where they joined demonstrations throughout the afternoon and evening. The overwhelming majority of the Northeastern food service workforce is made up of immigrant and oppressed nationality workers. Throughout the day, striking workers expressed their desire to show the strength and unity of immigrant workers. Striker Angela Bello told the crowd of protesters in the Common that she wanted to send a message that “immigrant workers are here to stay” and that “together we will move mountains.”

The Northeastern workers are members of UNITE HERE Local 26, the same union that led a 22-day strike of food service workers at Harvard University last October. These strikes are a hopeful sign of growing militancy from some sectors of the labor movement.

The Northeastern workers were not the only ones to hold a political strike in protest of the inauguration. Bay Area Longshore workers union, ILWU Local 10, stopped work for the day, as did University of California graduate students represented by UAW Local 2865. In addition, subcontracted janitors who clean Home Depot stores in Minnesota engaged in a one-day strike.

#BostonMA #strike #Strikes #DonaldTrump #UNITEHERELocal26

The Northeastern workers will be joined by students who are walking out of classes and marching to the Boston Common, which will be the site of mass demonstrations throughout the afternoon and evening.

#BostonMA #strike #Strikes #DonaldTrump #UNITEHERELocal26

Boston, MA -Harvard, the world’s wealthiest university, saw its first workers’ strike in over 30 years this week as Harvard University Dining Service (HUDS) food service workers, members of UNITE HERE Local 26, took to the picket lines on Oct. 5. Workers were in contract negotiations with the Harvard administration since the end of May. The administration is refusing to budge on key workers’ demands including equitable healthcare, year-round employment, and a racial justice task force to promote equality at work.

Students from across the Harvard system are showing their support for the strike by issuing statements of solidarity, sharing meals with striking workers, and most importantly, reinforcing the picket lines. Almost 3000 students signed a petition supporting the HUDS workers strike, and now over 400 are pledged to stand on picket lines until worker’ demands are met.

A large coalition of student organizations issued joint declarations of support for the strike. Just this week, the Harvard chapter of the National Lawyers Guild and Reclaim Harvard Law released a co-authored, bilingual statement exposing that African American, Latino, Haitian and other oppressed nationalities and women are often given the lowest paying jobs at the law school and rarely receive promotions.

Undergraduate students have also held ‘dine-ins’ with the HUDS workers. Students and workers then share a meal and discuss the HUDS struggle and the experiences of Harvard’s workers.

Last week on Sept. 30, students and workers held a joint rally building towards the strike, followed by a worker speak-out in the main lounge of Harvard Law School. In response to the widespread student support for the HUDS strike, the Harvard Law School administration was forced to shut down law school cafeterias, rather than bringing in scabs to break the strike.

“Harvard has a long history of pitting its own students against workers. One president of the university, Abbott Lowell, owned a steel mill north of campus. The steel workers at the mill joined the famous Bread and Roses Strike of 1912 in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Harvard President Lowell offered students a passing grade on their mid-term exams if they would agree to reinforce the Massachusetts State Militia in harassing the workers and breaking the picket line,” explained Harvard Law student Collin Poirot during an Oct. 6 student-worker solidarity rally.

Poirot finished his speech, “These students traded in their solidarity and support for working-class people in exchange for good grades and upward mobility. We will never make that mistake again.”

While solidarity with the Harvard workers continues to grow on campus, it is apparent that the Harvard administration is negotiating on behalf of the financial elites who control the Harvard Corporation.

The HUDS workers are winning and participation is increasing with the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers (HUCTW), the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and other workers joining them. On Oct. 7, UNITE HERE Local 26 members from hotels and universities across the city of Boston rallied with Harvard workers.

The HUDS workers are fierce in their commitment to winning this campaign. It is likely that solidarity with Harvard workers will spread to other campuses and cities in coming weeks, showing that reviving the strike is a good way to win.

#BostonMA #StudentMovement #PeoplesStruggles #strikes #Harvard

One important focus throughout the weekend was the upcoming trial of Rasmea Odeh, the Palestinian American community organizer who is currently a target of the U.S. government’s witch hunt against activists and members of the Palestinian solidarity community. Odeh is being criminalized for her solidarity work within the Arab American community. SJP recognizes that, “as Palestinian solidarity activists, we have a duty to support her.”

During one packed session at the conference, panelists discussed Rasmea Odeh’s case and ways SJP chapters can lend support. SJP leaders called for students to attend her trial in Detroit starting on Nov. 4 and to organize solidarity rallies on campuses across the country. Responding to the call, the University of Florida’s SJP chapter is coordinating with student activists at Florida International University, the University of Central Florida, Florida Atlantic University, the University of South Florida and other campuses in the South and nationwide.

As Amanda Nelson of University of Florida’s SJP summed up, “To stand with Rasmea is to stand with hardworking Americans who were not born in this country but have worked to establish their lives here. Most of all, to stand with Rasmea is to condemn the torture and human rights abuses committed by Israel.”

#BostonMA #Palestine #StudentsForJusticeInPalestine #StudentsForJusticeInPalestine4thNationalConvention #RasneaOdeh #MiddleEast

By Joseph Piette

Boston, Oct. 23 — In an impressive display of strength and unity in the face of a state attack against a militant union, hundreds of Boston bus drivers, bus monitors and community supporters came out tonight, in support of the School Bus Union 5: Andre Francois, Steven Gillis, Stevan Kirschbaum, Richard Lynch and Garry Murchison. Today’s events put the Veolia transnational corporation on the defensive, thwarting its hell-bent plan to break the union by attempting to unlawfully fire these long-time, respected members of Steelworkers Local 8751, the Boston School Bus Drivers Union.

The first hit against Veolia’s plans to terminate Gillis, Kirschbaum and the three other defendants was the legal brief presented to the corporation from the Steelworkers International legal defense team on Oct. 21. It reads in part: “As is explained herein, none of the named employees has engaged in any of the misconduct alleged against them inasmuch as the facts (as now known to the union) make clear that the events of October 8, 2013, amounted to an unlawful lockout by the Company and not a work stoppage by the employees and that, even if there were a work stoppage prior to the time when the Company locked the employees off the property, such work stoppage would have been a lawful unfair labor practice strike in any event. Moreover, pursuant to the facts expounded herein, the five named employees did not plan or orchestrate any of the concerted activity that occurred on October 8 and thus have no culpability beyond that.”

The 65-page document includes testimony, photos and other facts explaining that the company’s unfair labor practices were the real cause of the events on Oct. 8.

But the real power that made Veolia nervous today was the workers’ strength. The company knew workers and community members would be gathering outside the meeting at the company’s executive offices. That was why they announced early on that no one would be terminated today during the first disciplinary hearing against the Five. Another hearing is set for Oct. 28.

Strength of workers’ power

At the 3 p.m. start of the disciplinary meeting, the number of those gathered outside the building was understandably small because most workers were on their buses until 5:30. Union leaders demanded that all Five accused workers be present throughout the hearings.

When the company handed over three copies of the charges against Steve Gillis, union representatives demanded copies for every worker in the room, as past practices dictate. The company was forced to call a recess while that was done. The Five took the opportunity to walk out to the assembled crowd and hold the first of four or five rallies that took place over the next several hours.

Each time they walked out, Kirschbaum, chair of the union’s Grievance Committee, gave a report to a steadily growing crowd. Veolia management personnel drove in and out of the gates as the meeting progressed in order to report to their bosses the increasing size of the rally.

By 7:15 p.m., the gathering, which had grown to more than 350 workers and supporters, was a virtual occupation of Veolia’s corporate headquarters. As Kirschbaum walked out the door, some of the workers picked him up and carried him to a makeshift stage on the back of a truck. The rest of the Five joined him, as well as Boston City Councillor Charles Yancey.

Each member of the Five spoke during the last rally of the day. Kirschbaum reported that the disciplinary meeting would be continued on Oct. 28. Decisions have been delayed, but Veolia’s attempt to fire the five union leaders is still on the table. Kirschbaum pointed out that the rank-and-file members’ willingness to mobilize in support of the Five has put Veolia on the defensive.

Steve Gillis, USW local vice president, focused his remarks on the villainous role of the Veolia corporation as a worldwide imperialist pirate, more powerful than many governments. Through its four divisions Veolia does business in the trillions of dollars, has operations in 48 countries and employs more than 300,000 workers. It is trying to corner the world’s water supply; is an energy monster that even uses fracking, which is known to destroy the environment; and runs apartheid bus lines and Israeli-settler-only garbage dumps in the occupied West Bank.

But, Gillis pointed out, the real, much stronger power is the power of the workers fighting for their rights in unity as a powerful workers’ assembly.

Francois, Lynch and Murchison all thanked the assembled rank and file for demonstrating by their actions the time-honored motto: “An injury to one is an injury to all.” The three thanked the workers for showing by their solidarity that they would not allow a single union leader to be sacrificed to Veolia’s union busting. Then they told the workers they were living the 8751 motto: “Together we will win. Ansamb nou se yon fos. Todos unitos. De juntos somos forte!”

Councillor Yancey told the drivers and monitors: “You offered to do the afternoon run and pick up the children [on Oct. 8], but the mayor refused and locked the gates. The mayor sided with Veolia. You love the children of Boston. You deserve respect for the work you do. If you win, all of Boston wins. If you lose, workers all over lose.”

This reporter heard workers express a common belief: If the union leaders are terminated, their wages and benefits will go next. They must stop the company’s plans. Hands off the School Bus Union Five!

Piette is a retired letter carrier from Philadelphia.

#BostonMA #workersRights #WorkersWorld #antiunionBusting #SchoolBusUnion5

The 99% nearly claimed the Charleston Bridge to demonstrate its desire for occupation of all Boston. One person was arrested.

The relationship with the police, which was until this time was amicable, soured quickly. Boston Occupiers linked arms to ward off marauding police and swat personnel Oct. 11, in the early morning. The protesters expanded into the park across the street because their numbers grew. Despite getting the permission of the park's caretaker, the police started making arrests and destroying the property of occupiers at about 1:30 a.m.

Many of the 141 arrested protesters were brutalized or later mistreated in police custody, but later released on civil charges. While the peaceable occupiers were in custody, they maintained high spirits and sang Solidarity Together. One victim of police repression, Kyle Forrester, said, “It was unanimous amongst the arrested that our sacrifice would only grow the movement and I hope that holds true in the coming days.”

The 99% at Occupy Boston kept their resolve to make sure their voice is heard. Plans for the weekend of Oct. 15-16 include a solidarity march against U.S. imperialist wars. The numbers participating are expected to be similar.

#BostonMA #AntiwarMovement #Labor #PoliceBrutality #OccupyBoston #OccupyWallStreet

Boston, MA – In solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street campaign, Boston is joining in with other cities across the United States.

The Occupy Boston event was planned in less than a week, showing up in strength on the evening of Sept. 30. Over 1000 occupants started their own protest in Dewey Square, right across from the Federal Reserve Bank. The gathering included a large swath of persons with diverse political leanings. After some initial planning for an encampment, the protesters took to the street in an unplanned march.

The march lasted for nearly two hours and weaved all over downtown Boston. Bars and restaurant patrons regarded the protest with a mix of awe and camaraderie as it moved past. The slogans proclaimed solidarity with fellow demonstrators across the nation with chants like “We are the 99 percent!” Other chants included, “Out of the bars, into the streets,” and “They got bailed out, we got sold out!” After the march finished, protesters gathered in front of the Federal Reserve Bank. Police guarded the doors.

Eventually, demonstrators settled down for night, occupying Dewey Square. Support groups have been established to meet all essential needs: medical, food and sanitation. Many other secondary services have also been established, indicating that Occupy Boston is there for the long haul. Signs show a wide support for demands against the capitalist system. When one protester was ask why he was there, he replied, “We live in an unjust world and an unjust country. Too many people rich, too many people poor, too many people starving and dying. We need to change the system and it cannot be reformed. We have to build a new one.”

#BostonMA #CapitalismAndEconomy #EconomicCrisis #OccupyBoston #OccupyWallStreet