[olympiaworkers] Solidarity to Occupy Oakland General Strike
by PALEA indybay.org Friday Nov 4th, 2011
The Philippine Airlines Employees' Association (PALEA), the union of
the ground staff of Philippine Airlines, and Partido ng Manggagawa
(Labor Party-Philippines), the independent party of the working class
in the Philippines, stand shoulder to shoulder with the Occupy Oakland
protesters. We too struggle against corporate greed and capitalist
globalization with its destructive impact on the workers and the
youth. Truly the movement against corporate greed and capitalist
globalization is international in scope.
To the Occupy Oakland protesters:
We express our solidarity with the Oakland general strike on November 2
especially the blockade of the Port of Oakland. The general strike and
port blockade will reveal the truth that the 99% creates the wealth that
the 1% now monopolizes. Such forms of mass actions will also show the way
forward for the occupy protest movement now surging in the US and other
countries.
We likewise salute the Occupy Oakland protesters who bravely faced violent
eviction last October 25 even as we condemn the police for their brutal
attack.
The Philippine Airlines Employees' Association (PALEA), the union of the
ground staff of Philippine Airlines, and Partido ng Manggagawa (Labor
Party-Philippines), the independent party of the working class in the
Philippines, stand shoulder to shoulder with the Occupy Oakland
protesters. We too struggle against corporate greed and capitalist
globalization with its destructive impact on the workers and the youth.
Truly the movement against corporate greed and capitalist globalization is
international in scope.
More than a thousand PALEA members are presently occupying areas outside
the international airports of Manila and Cebu, the two biggest cities in
the Philippines, for a month now since the company locked out and
terminated some 2,400 employees. The layoffs are part of an outsourcing
scheme that aimed to downgrade us into contract workers which we have been
fighting against for the last two years.
Two weeks ago a court sheriff accompanied by hired goons of the company
attempted to disperse the picketline in Manila. The resistance of PALEA
members forced them to retreat. And then last Saturday, scores of hired
goons launched a daybreak attack on PALEA's occupation camp while many,
including women and children, were still asleep. Half of the campout was
destroyed and several protesters were hurt but the dispersal attempt
masterminding by the company was repelled. In less than a day the
occupation camp was wholly rebuilt.
We have vowed to defend our occupation. PALEA's struggle is inspired by
the Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Oakland protests and our fight is part
of the global movement against corporate greed and capitalist
globalization.
On November 2, PALEA and its supporters started a three-day "long march"
around several cities to bring the campaign against corporate greed and
capitalist globalization to the working class communities and areas. The
Oakland general strike and port blockade will be an inspiration to our
"long march" protest.
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