Photo: Amy Fender (Flickr)
The AFL-CIO union says it does not want to take over the Occupy protests but supports its goals.
The Occupy Indiana movement, based on the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York City, picked up an endorsement over the weekend from the AFL-CIO.
Union spokesman Jeff Harris says the labor movement has no intention of taking over the Occupy protests. But he says the two groups share many common goals in speaking out against the corporate takeover of American society.
“You know, we’re just excited and encouraging people who feel this way and if there’s things we can do to help facilitate that, we want to be supportive,” he says.
Occupy organizer Kai Bennett says he sees the union endorsement as a positive thing. But he wants to make sure the movement remains in the hands of regular people.
“I just hope that the people remember that the power’s with them and not with any of these institutions whatsoever, even the ones that support us,” he says.
Occupy groups are emerging in South Bend, Fort Wayne, Muncie and Bloomington, and Bennett says they are working to spread to small town Indiana as well.
