Occupy is bidding to shut down America's west coast ports in support of an ongoing International Longshore Workers Union battle. Picket lines are expected in Oakland, Los Angeles, Portland and more – follow live updates here
Thousands of protesters are expected to join in a shutdown of America's west coast ports, with some picket lines already in place in California.
Occupations from Oakland, LA, San Diego, Tacoma, Seattle and more have united in a bid to stop all port activity on America's west coast, in support of the International Longshore Workers Union's (ILWU) battle with EGT in Longview, Washington.
Protesters will march to port terminals and create picket lines in the same way Occupy Oakland did last month, when their general strike shut down the port of Oakland. With pickets in place, local ILWU arbitrators are then expected to rule that longshore workers should not cross the lines for safety reasons, closing the ports.
"The West Coast ports will be blockaded on December 12th in solidarity with longshoremen and port truckers struggles against EGT and Goldman Sachs," the west coast port shutdown website says.
The action has caused controversy, with the ILWU publicly disowning the protest last week – communications director Craig Merrilees telling the Guardian that the union was "not supporting that at all".
"[Occupy organisers] have been very disrespectful of the democratic decision-making process in the union and deliberately went around that process to call their own action without consulting workers," Merrilees said.
It's the second time they've done it. The first time they had very little support from workers in their so-called general strike [the Occupy Oakland action on 2 November].
"This is being promoted by a group of people who apparently think they can call general strikes and workplace shutdowns without talking to workers and without involving the unions.