US workers, students join anti-Wall Street protest

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US workers, students join anti-Wall Street protest

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Thousands of people gathered in New York to denounce what they say is the Wall Street greed.

06 October,2011 10:24 am

Students, union activists and local politicians turn out in New York for the latest demonstration against corporate greed and what they say is the excessive power and influence of Wall Street institutions.The ranks of a weeks-long anti-corporate protest in New York swelled hugely ahead of a march on the financial district Wednesday with the arrival of US labor unions.About 2,000 people crammed into the tiny Zuccotti Park, near Wall Street, with more arriving every minute, watched by large numbers of police.Calling themselves the 99 percent, the loosely woven coalition of protesters is now backed by major unions including the AFL-CIO, United Auto Workers and Transit Workers Union.The sheer numbers meant that protesters, who have marched daily into Wall Street and other nearby symbols of corporate power, were likely to flood the busy, narrow streets.Protesters have a huge list of grievances, ranging from the mountain of US student debt to shrinking retirement benefits for the elderly, as the United States struggles to regain its once powerful economic stride.Protesters main anger is directed at corporate influence in politics and the government bailout in 2008 and it comes against a backdrop of dismay at the lack of leadership from either President Barack Obamas Democrats or the opposition Republicans a year from a presidential election.As the protests -- ignored initially by much of the media -- grabbed growing attention, New Yorks liberal congresswoman, Louise Slaughter, gave the demonstrations her blessing.Also joining the protest movement were students, who, according to the Occupywallst.org website were staging a national walkout.The march was backed by members of the United Federation of Teachers, which represents most of New Yorks public school teachers, as well as the Workers United and Transport Workers, which represents many of the citys bus drivers.The Professional Staff Congress-CUNY (PSC-CUNY), which represents more than 20,000 professors and staff at the City University of New York, also gave its support.The movement is growing, with franchises popping up in towns and major cities across the United States, leading some political observers to liken it to a left-wing version of the populist conservative Tea Party movement.Small anti-Wall Street demos have cropped up in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and elsewhere.The new protest comes four days after more than 700 protesters were arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge when they defied police and stalled traffic.Police said most of those arrested were issued criminal court summons and citations for disorderly conduct before being released later in the day.