Forum Post: CWA looking to co-opt OWS
Posted 13 years ago on Oct. 20, 2011, 5:42 p.m. EST by Misguided
(373)
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Tomorrow between 4 and 5pm the CWA will march from West street to Zuccotti Park in an attempt to make themselves the face of the movement. They want to use OWS's media visibility to advance their negotiations with Verizon. I don't know how you all feel but I think that a co-opt by a big union will do nothing but harm to this movement.
I agree. No co-option by anyone
CWA joins OWS in solidarity to prevent the wholesale sell-off of our democracy and middle-class.
I am a member and we will openly embrace a democracy where neither corporations nor unions can buy politicians.
There's no way for big unions like the CWA to coopt OWS even if they wanted to. Organizations like that have no idea how to deal with non-hierarchical decentered phenomena like OWS.
The truth is, OWS is re-energizing the progressive end of the labor movement, and that's a great thing for all of us.
I know I have had many political disagreements with many people on here but that all aside I do believe that money in government is a huge problem and thus I support the movement. I don't want to see people disenfranchised because a union wants to use the movement as a mouthpiece for it's own benefit. I really don't think they care one way or another about the movement aside from what they can use it for and I think people get turned off when see things like that happening.
Second the no co-option. Stay free and proud, people.
I don't know what CWA is, but are they not part of the 99%?
The people who belong to the union are part of the 99%. A union, as organization, isn't even a person. If we are ever going to get rid of corporate personhood, we need to stop thinking of organizations as real people.
so CWA is a union? Ok, well that's cool. They're the 99% too.
i agree, but working with unions minus the co-opt is not a bad game as long as we all bear in mind that its dealing with a tiny devil to gain enough traction to take down the big demons.
in short labor unions are our natural allies in many things and we can use their help. but we must not let them take control of or divert the movement and that includes no boycotts just to appease their game head space ideas.