On Wednesday, more than 10,000 estimated workers in Oakland will go on a city-wide strike, including members of the SEIU (the city’s largest labor union) and a handful of other labor groups. The protesters plan on also disrupting the night shift at the Port of Oakland, which is the nation’s fifth busiest port and supports about 50,000 jobs in Northern California, 827,000 jobs nationwide.
Both Occupy Oakland protesters and city officials are preparing for the strike. Mayor Jean Quan’s spokeswoman, Sue Piper, said the city will remain open for business, but “employees who want to participate can use their work furlough time, not sick leave, and they have to get approval from their supervisor.”
Mayor Quan promised to returned all medical supplies that were taken during last Tuesday’s early morning raid to the Occupy Oakland encampment. A nurse interviewed by SF Weekly had the following to say:
“The cops took everything we were using,” said Clara Barton, an Oakland RN. "First they lied about sanitary conditions in the camp, then they stop the people who were trying to do something about it."
Protesters have largely rebuilt their temporary home, Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, after police forced them out last Tuesday. On Friday, radical filmmaker, political activist, and protester extraordinaire Michael Moore stopped by the Occupy Oakland camp to address the crowd.
Saturday was a whirlwind of a day for Oakland and especially Mayor Quan, with an anti-police rally and the circulation of a fake letter and website from Mayor Quan by a yet-unnamed person. The hoax website and letter (on city letterhead) were both so professional-looking that many believed they were from the mayor herself.
Scott Olsen, the 24-year-old two-time Iraq War veteran who suffered head injuries (video here) by a supposed tear-gas canister fired by police on Tuesday, gave a “thumbs-up” to supporters after his roommate told him about all the attention he has received across the US.
More information about Occupy Oakland, including the strike, is on their website here.