Occupy San Francisco: Labor rank & file stands in solidarity

2012-11-19 "Stop The Police Attacks-SF Labor & Workers At Occupy SF" by Labor Video Project
[http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/19/18700142.php?show_comments=1#comments]
San Francisco Unionists and working people talked about the SF Occupation and the defense of the occupation against threats of Democratic party mayor Ed Lee to raid the camp and remove the occupants. Union leaders said they would mobilize their membership to defend the occupation.

Stop The Police Attacks-SF Labor & Workers At Occupy SF
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPDpsyWDxD4]
 SF labor officials and supporters of Occupy San Francisco spoke out at an occupation assembly meeting on 11/17/2011 in defense of the occupation. Production of Labor Video Project http://www.laborvideo.org laborvideo.blip.tv





Comment: SF Labor's Tim Paulson: "All Hot Air" by S.F. Insider
Saturday Nov 19th, 2011 7:23 PM
When push comes to shove, SF Labor's Tim Paulson is "All Hot Air". The Occupy SF Movement or any other Occupy Movement, for that matter, should NOT rely on Organized Labor to defend them against the cops. Organized Labor in America represents the Gestapos in Blue and are not about to turn their backs on their "brothers and sisters" with the badges and batons, regardless of how many Occupiers they beat up. The Occupy Movement would be better off forming their own self-defense peoples' militias, free of any external interference and infiltration by police agents provocateur or right-wing informants. As for Tim Paulson and the S.F. Labor Council, when the going gets tough, watch 'em high-tail in the opposite direction.


2011-11-18 "Labor ready to fight Occupy eviction" by Tim Redmond from "San Francisco Bay Guardian"
[http://www.sfbg.com/politics/2011/11/18/labor-ready-fight-occupy-eviction]
Tim Paulson, director of the San Francisco Labor Council, just told me that he's got as many as 500 union members on alert to stand with the OccupySF encampment if the city attempts to evict the protesters. The Labor Council has put together a communications system to let members who have volunteered to help know when a showdown with the police is coming, and the volunteers are ready to spend as much as 24 hours at Justin Herman Plaza, and if necessary, in jail.
"We mobilized for last night, but nothing happened," he said. "We're in a state of constant vigilance."
Paulson noted that the San Francisco encampment "is the symbol of the Occupy Movement."
The solidarity of San Francisco labor will make it considerably more difficult for Mayor Ed Lee to send in the police and break up the camp. The idea that he would be ordering the arrests not only of several hundred Occupy protesters but a large contingent of local labor leaders and union members has to be giving him second (and third, and fourth) thoughts.
And whatever the outcome, the connenctions between labor and Occupy are critical to building and sustaining a national movement to demand economic justice. It's great to see the SF Labor Council in the heart of the fight.