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| Participants in an Occupy LA workshop on plant occupations included Ed,a UE community ally; Henri Tran, Mrs. Barrington, Brian Barrington, and Bryan Martindale, Local 1421; Bentley Derr, and Abdul Ahmad, Local 1008. |
UE locals in Southern California have been supporting the "Occupy Wall Street" movement there. They have joined the Labor Solidarity Committee which includes over 30 unions that have been helping Occupy Los Angeles, Occupy Long Beach and Occupy Orange County.
On October 29 leaders of UE Locals 1008 and 1421 participated in a labor history workshop for Occupy LA entitled, "From the Flint Strike to the Republic Windows and Doors Occupation: A History of Plant Occupations." Because of UE's militant reputation and role at Republic, the UE members received a hero's welcome at the event, where they also made new contacts with rank-and-file leaders from other unions.
UE Local 1421 participated in a November 5 march and rally against major banks in Downtown LA. The Labor Solidarity Committee is also supporting a planned November 17 work stoppage by the California Faculty Association, the faculty union in the California State University system. Also planned for Nov. 17 is a march, organized by the Good Jobs LA campaign, which will occupy a port bridges in Long Beach along with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and independent truckers who are trying to unionize.