Labor, Faith, Community Activists Call on Big Banks to 'Share the Wealth'
By Rachele HuennekensSEIU Local 1877
Hundreds of labor and community activists demonstrated outside of Wells Fargo in the Financial District yesterday, demanding that the six largest banks in the nation – Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and Morgan Stanley – help California working families recover from the economic recession by preventing home foreclosures, providing healthcare and unemployment benefits, and solving the $6.3 California budget shortfall.
The protesters, members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the Contra Costa County Interfaith Supporting Community Organizations (CCISCO), People Acting in Community Together - San Jose, Oakland Community Organizations, and the San Francisco Organizing Project, demanded that Wall Street executives be held accountable for helping ordinary people struggling to weather the economic recession, instead of enriching themselves.
“It’s unbearable that Big Bank CEOs and top executives are paying themselves $577 million per day, while more than 10,000 working families face home foreclosure each day,” said Minister Marvin Webb, a member of CCISCO. “We demand that Wall Street be held accountable, and redirect their bonus pay to