Take on Wall Street is a coalition of several major labor unions and dozens of left-leaning nonprofits dedicated to continuing the efforts of the Occupy Wall Street movement. It advocates for a wide range of left-of-center policy positions, such as increased taxes on investments; implementing a wealth tax; providing fully taxpayer-funded access to college, health insurance, and transportation; and redistributing wealth to so-called marginalized groups such as racial and sexual minorities.

Take on Wall Street is a member of the Declaration for American Democracy coalition, a project of Ralph Nader’s Public Citizen Foundation. ¹

History and Composition

Take on Wall Street was founded in 2016 in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crash and the Occupy Wall Street movement as the activist front for a wide range of public and private sector labor unions and left-leaning activist and nonprofit groups dedicated to increasing regulations on banking and investing. The group is hosted by Americans for Financial Reform, itself a left-leaning coalition focusing on financial regulations. ²

The coalition is comprised of more than 50 different groups, mostly ranging from left-leaning to left-wing. The core of this coalition is made up of labor unions, both private and public sector. These include AFL-CIO, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), American Postal Workers Union, Communication Workers of America, National Education Association (NEA), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), United Auto Workers (UAW), and United Food and Commercial Workers. ³

Another significant element of the coalition includes explicitly left-wing political groups such as ACCE Action, , American Family Voices (AFV), Campaign for America’s Future, Center for Popular Democracy Action, Consumers Union, Courage Campaign, Demand Progress Action, Democracy for America, Groundwork Collaborative, Main Street Alliance, Missouri Jobs With Justice, MomsRising, , New York Communities for Change, Citizen Action of New York, Other 98%, People for the American Way, Public Citizen, and Working Families Party. ⁴

Take on Wall Street also includes other coalitions, such as Americans for Financial Reform and Strong Economy for All Coalition; donor funds such as Beneficial State Foundation and Patriotic Millionaires; online publications such as Daily Kos and Presente.org; think tanks such as Economic Policy Institute and Institute for Policy Studies; religious-left organizations such as Franciscan Action Network, Jubilee USA, and NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice; and the politically oriented for-profit company CREDO Mobile. ⁵

Take on Wall Street is a member of the Declaration for American Democracy coalition, a project of Ralph Nader’s Public Citizen Foundation. ⁶

Activism

Take on Wall Street provides training for activists and carries out lobbying activities directed towards combatting what it calls “financialization” while promoting liberal social aims concerning race and gender. It also publishes voting guides in light of which candidates receive the most Wall Street campaign donations while also lobbying for policy goals. ⁷ These issues include redistribution of wealth to Black, indigenous, LGBT, and disabled communities; a “sales tax” on financial exchanges; increasing capital gains taxes; implementing a wealth tax; providing fully taxpayer-funded college, health care, and public transportation; increasing campaign finance regulations; abolishing the Senate’s supermajority filibuster rule; paying reparations for slavery; eliminating criminal fines; and cancelling student debt. ⁸

Investors have stated that many of Take on Wall Street’s proposed policies would harm union workers by increasing taxes on their pension funds. ⁹

1. “Our Members.” Declaration for American Democracy. Accessed February 6, 2023. https://dfadcoalition.org/
2. “Who We Are.” Take on Wall Street. Accessed March 18, 2023. https://takeonwallst.com/about-tows/
3. “Who We Are.” Take on Wall Street. Accessed March 18, 2023. https://takeonwallst.com/about-tows/
4. “Who We Are.” Take on Wall Street. Accessed March 18, 2023. https://takeonwallst.com/about-tows/
5. “Who We Are.” Take on Wall Street. Accessed March 18, 2023. https://takeonwallst.com/about-tows/
6. “Our Members.” Declaration for American Democracy. Accessed February 6, 2023. https://dfadcoalition.org/
7. “What We Do.” Take on Wall Street. Accessed March 18, 2023. https://takeonwallst.com/what-we-do/
8. “Issues.” Take on Wall Street. Accessed March 18, 2023. https://takeonwallst.com/issues/
9. Renae Merle. “The Occupy movement has grown up — and looks to inflict real pain on big banks.” Washington Post. May 24, 2016. Accessed March 18, 2023. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2016/05/24/the-occupy-movement-has-grown-up-and-looks-to-inflict-real-pain-on-big-banks/