Our Unions And Demands For A Ceasefire In Palestine/Israel

I have done a few posts here on our labor movement and demands for a ceasefire in Israel/Palestine. There are strong arguments on both sides of the issue, but I suspect that most union members don't know that our unions are involved in foreign affairs and international policies. At its best this union attention to international developments benefits working people the world over by building unity behind common demands. On the question of the ceasefire, though, the labor movement in the United States has a divided house.

That we have a divided house on this issue is not necessarily a bad thing. For generations our unions have had too little open discussion and a kind of enforced unity has sometimes prevailed. The pro-ceasefire faction in the labor movement is unique---and is probably interesting to many union members---because it is a coalition of experienced union members, many of whom have been active for almost 50 years, and young people who are new to the labor movement, many of whom organized their way in.  

I am a firm supporter of a ceasefire agreement and I fully support the unions, union leaders and union members who have acted with courage and dispatch to win broad union support for a ceasefire. In some unions, and in the AFL-CIO, this has meant bumping heads with union leaders and others who are opposed to a ceasefire agreement. The mainstream labor movement in the United States has been a longstanding supporter of Israel, and the ties that make that support possible are quite strong. The more progressive World Federation of Trade Unions takes a very different position. The International Trade Union Confederation essentially supports the position on the conflict taken by U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Thus, the AFL-CIO is somewhat isolated within the world trade union movement. A recent but already dated summary of how world labor differs on the Palestinian/Israeli conflict is here.

I attended two meetings about labor, the working-class in the United Sates and the ceasefire yesterday and found that our union members and friends who support a ceasefire are all over the map on why they support a ceasefire and how they hope to organize greater support for our position. I saw something of this recently when I attended a pro-Palestinian rally led by an organization that used the issue of the war to build itself rather than build unity for peace and justice in Palestine/Israel. They seemed to be doing an infomercial that said "We interrupt this war to tell you all about us." Those in the labor movement who are opposed to a ceasefire, or to unions taking a pro-ceasefire position, are more focused and unified in their game plans. And some of these voices in the labor movement have been good on other issues even while being wrong about the need for a ceasefire. Can either of the sides fighting this out tell us how supporting their positions builds our labor movement?

As we might expect, Labor Notes has a leading position in the effort to win unions to a pro-ceasefire position. The AFL-CIO position is briefly summarized here.

One of the meetings that I attended yesterday was sponsored by Communications Workers Of America Local 7250 and featured a talk by long-time Palestinian activist and trade unionist Imad Temeiza. He is a leader of the Palestinian Postal Service Workers Union. This union supports the movement for boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) aimed at Israel. Brother Temeiza showed clips from cellphone videos made in Gaza recently that brought some people at the meeting to tears. It is a hard thing to see people suffering and children dying. A good introduction to Brother Temeiza's work can be found here:

The current issue of the Northwest Labor Press has a helpful article mentioning that "more local and national unions in the United States have issued statements calling for a cease-fire." The article expands on this by saying that "A letter sponsored by United Auto Workers, United Electrical Workers, and Seattle-based UFCW Local 3000 calls on President Joe Biden and Congress to push for an immediate cease-fire, and for the release of hostages taken by Hamas. More than 50 local unions have signed the letter, including some in Oregon and Washington: PROTEC17, AFT-Oregon, AFT Local 6069 (Coalition of Graduate Employees at OSU), New Seasons Labor Union, Oregon Education Association, Portland Association of Teachers, and UNITE HERE Local 8." My union, the National Writers Union, should be listed there as well.

The People's World online publication has an article dated December 15 that goes into greater detail regarding where our labor movement and some supportive politicians stand on the ceasefire and why they take the positions that they do. The People's World article explains that "Labor leaders from across the United States met in the capital on Thursday, Dec. 14, to demand President Joe Biden call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in occupied Palestine. Joined by Reps. Cori Bush, D-Mo., Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y., Ro Khanna, D-Calif., Andre Carson, D-Ind., and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., union members and national leaders assembled to make their demands for an end to the genocide in Gaza clear. Officially represented were the United Auto Workers, the American Postal Workers Union, United Electrical Workers, the Coalition of Labor Union Women, and the National Labor Network for a Ceasefire. The event was called to build awareness and support for H.Res. 786, a ceasefire bill in Congress." As the article points out, something is moving when the National Education Association goes into action on the issue. The event that was held on December 14 can be seen on Representative Cori Bush's Facebook page. Representative Bush's press releases on the situation in Palestine/Israel can be found here.

Senator's Merkley's support for a ceasefire is explained here.

Photo taken from the Michigan Advance

The opinions expressed here do not reflect those of the Marion-Polk-Yamhill Central Labor Chapter or the Oregon AFL-CIO. 

The Northwest Labor Press reports on some union wins and on-going struggles

The Northwest Labor Press is reporting several important union victories and on-going struggles in our region. Each link below contains a line from a Northwest Labor Press article and will take you to their great coverage of the events and the issues involved.

There are some common threads here. In most cases workers took risks in organizing, they reached out to coworkers and discussed the issues confronting them, the risks lessened as the heat in the workplace increased, and action followed. Action may not always bring home the goods, but not talking, acting and organizing will always lead to a loss. 

* About 20 Multnomah County dentists represented by AFSCME Local 88 ratified a new contract Dec. 6.

* Mechanics who maintain equipment at the Coffin Butte Landfill in Corvallis ended their strike Nov. 13 after two months on the picket line.

* International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 5 reached a second tentative agreement with Powell’s Books on Nov. 22, about a month after workers rejected a previous offer from the independent bookstore. 

* Oregon Tradeswomen reached agreement with Machinists Local Lodge 63 on a first union contract. Ratified by workers Dec. 7, the three-year agreement takes effect Jan. 1. It spells out cost of living raises, establishes basic union rights like “just cause” discipline, and locks in an existing four-day 32-hour work week. Workers did agree to give up one unusual perk, the right to take up to a month of paid personal leave.

Photo from the Northwest Labor Press/Don McIntosh

Some Upcoming Events & Labor Solidarity News

Important event announcement: The Labor Solidarity Project will be hosting an outstanding event this Thursday, November 30, at 6:00 PM (PST) featuring Dr. Diana Johnson, discussing her work on multiracial coalition building in Seattle during the final decades of the 20th century. Dr. Johnson is Associate Professor of History and Ethnic Studies and the Chair of the Ethnic Studies Department at California State University, San Bernardino. She received her MA and PhD from the University of California Davis and specializes in the history of race and ethnicity in the United States, political activism, and oral history. She recently published her first monograph, Seattle in Coalition: Multiracial Alliances, Labor Politics, and Transnational Activism in the Pacific Northwest, 1970-1999 with the University of North Carolina Press in 2023. This work chronicles the history of Black, Native American, Chicanx, and Asian American labor and political activists stemming from Seattle. More specifically, she examines how activists built coalitions across ethnic, regional and international lines, challenging racial inequalities, capitalist labor systems, and globalization. At Cal State San Bernardino, Dr. Johnson primarily teaches courses in systemic racism, immigration in America, and racial activism during the 1960s and 1970s. The Zoom link is https://washington.zoom.us/j/93515461794

Also:

From the Marion County Democrats located at

 245 High Street NE in Salem.

AND:

IATSE Local 488 will host a film worker flea market and maker fair in Portland’s Old Town District to benefit film crews who are still recovering from the strike. It will feature items used in local TV and movie productions, plus original art and crafts made by IATSE Local 488 members. It is open to the general public and will include live entertainment, raffles, and special guests. 

Read more here.
Vendor sign up here.
December 9-10 from 10am - 6pm
Goldsmith Blocks Building (412 NW Couch St)

AND:

Don't forget to order your 2024 labor history calendar from the Pacific Northwest Labor History Association!

Some Labor Solidarity News

AFL-CIO: The Oregon Labor Dispatch of November 17, 2023 has a link to a press release issued by AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler on November 16 applauding "President Biden’s announcement today of the Presidential Memorandum on Advancing Worker Empowerment, Rights, and High Labor Standards Globally, a framework that will reshape how U.S. government agencies conduct international diplomacy by putting workers’ rights and standards at the center." The press release argues that this is a "game changer for workers in the U.S. and around the world" and says that "We need a global economy that puts working people at the center, and we look forward to collaborating with the Biden administration to implement and execute the strategy with our partners and allies at home and abroad."

A report in In These Times claims that the AFL-CIO recently intervened to "squash" a resolution passed by the Olympia, Washington-based Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council (TLM CLC) supporting a ceasefire in Palestine/Israel .

From The Northwest Labor Press

An article in the Pacific Northwest Labor Press dated November 16, 2023 meanwhile highlighted remarks made by Hannah Winchester, political action committee co-chair at Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, at a Portland rally supporting a ceasefire. The article noted that "Over a dozen local unions have also signed on to a labor letter calling for a ceasefire, including the Oregon Education Association and Portland Association of Teachers."

Oregon AFL-CIO: Please visit the Oregon AFL-CIO blog and read the Oregon Labor Dispatch to keep up with what the Oregon AFL-CIO is doing. The strike map on the blog shows no strikes currently underway in Oregon, but it is important to keep an eye on this. An October 31 post on the blog predicted more strikes in Oregon as the Auto Workers moved to settle their contracts with the Big Three automakers. Another post on that date provided links to the State Federation's Legislative Scorecard and to the Federation's overview of the last Oregon legislative session and highlighted officeholders and politicians who the Federation regards as friends of working people. This is important reading, so please take a look.

The November 17, 2023 Labor Dispatch report provides a list of short labor news items and action items. The list includes an invitation to our upcoming holiday party (December 9, 9:00am -12:00pm, Ken Allen AFSCME Labor Canter, 1400 Tandem Ave NE in Salem), an announcement concerning the  University of Oregon Labor Center Collective Bargaining Institute to be held on December 3-8, at the University Place Hotel in Portland, and a solidarity action supporting Multnomah County dentists. "The dentists stand united, asking for the opportunity to provide patients meaningful care, in an environment that allows enough time to do the work," says the post.

Alphabet Workers Union: A group of Google contractors, some of whom have worked on Search and Google’s artificial intelligence chatbot Bard, have voted to unionize. A news report claims that "Following the filing for unionization, the group, which included 120 writers, graphic designers and coordinators, among others, were told more than half the team would be laid off, according to the Alphabet Workers Union, which alleged the layoffs were an act of retaliation." See this article for details. The Alphabet Workers Union frequently works with the Communication Workers of America. 

Communications Workers of America: An interesting article in The New Republic highlights bank workers who are opting to organize with CWA.

CWA's Call Center Workers United are on strike at Maximus, or were the last I heard. This is an important strike given the needs to organize call center workers and take on racism and the conditions that divide these workers. Please go to the website, get on their email alert list and follow through with the light asks that the union is putting out.

Steelworkers (USW): The Fall 2023 USW@Work publication ran two very important articles. One article on two-tier wage systems put it well when saying that "Unscrupulous employers often look for ways to divide union members, whether by age or job classification or other factors, and multi-tiered wage and benefit systems can play into bosses’ hands by helping them to serve that purpose." The article also said that "Success in eliminating tiers has come from workplaces large and small, improving lives and building solidarity for thousands of members. In the paper industry, one of the largest employers of USW members, workers achieved a series of strong contracts that cut tier systems, including in the union’s master agreement with International Paper, and Local 1013 and Local 1853 at Georgia Pacific."

From USW@Work

Another inspiring article in the United Steelworkers publication covered the recent USW International Women's Conference. Amanda Buda, a delegate of Local 412 at the University of Guelph in Ontario, is quoted in the article as saying, "There are a lot of people here that are in the same boat and in very similar situations. If I have any advice, it's that you don't know what you don't know. It’s always best if you have any type of question to reach out and ask a current union member how they did it, because there's always an answer and information that will benefit you in the long run.”

From USW@Work

Trade Unions for Energy Democracy: Trade Unions for Energy Democracy (TUED) recently issued an important report on developments in Argentina that will likely affect global privatization and the fight to hold on to public services and resources in many countries, including the U.S. There is much talk in TUED and elsewhere about a Global Green New Deal. We should become familiar with these ideas because they are affecting us, our work and our unions.  

Photo from UE News 

United Electrical Workers Research and Education Fund (UEWREF): The UEWREF and the United Electrical Workers proudly reported winning $6.5 million in bonuses for Durham, North Carolina city workers as part of their on-going organizing in the South and in workplaces with majority-Black workers. The Durham victory was won through direct action on the job in a right-to-work and racist environment. UEWREF is in need to funds to keep the ball rolling, so please contribute if you can.