Thousands demonstrate at pro-labor union rally in Los Angeles (slideshow)

Thousands of demonstrators showed up at Los Angeles City Hall today to demonstrate in favor of organized labor, and, in particular, the the unionized teachers, nurses, firefighters, police officers, and other public employees of Wisconsin.  The Los Angeles demonstrators boisterously chanted slogans and waved signs in support of the collective bargaining rights of the public employee labor unions in Wisconsin and elsewhere, and in opposition to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Wall Street bankers.  A slideshow of these signs and the demonstrators appears on the left side of this article.

The Los Angeles event was part of a nationwide day of demonstrations put together, literally overnight, by a number of advocacy groups, including MoveOn.org, American Rights at Work, and others.  The demonstrations took place Saturday in at some 66 cities across the U.S., including many state capitals.

In Los Angeles, a wide array of speakers was on hand to voice their support of organized labor, including luminaries such as California Secretary of State Debra Bowen, and Los Angeles City Council Members Janice Hahn and Paul Krekorian. There were also many union members present, especially members of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (“AFSCME”), as well as a large tractor trailer truck with the word “TEAMSTERS” on the side. 

As one speaker put it, to the cheers of the crowd, the United States of America itself is a union.

© 2011 Matthew Emmer -- All Rights Reserved

Enjoy this article? Receive email alerts when new articles have been published. Just click on the "Subscribe" button above.