*Workers in Gaza “need us to push back through our unions” to demand an arms embargo, union leader Mark Dimondstein said.* by Tyler Walicek, Truthout, September 8, 2024 https://truthout.org/articles/labor-raises-collective-voice-against-genocide-in-national-network-for-ceasefire
As Israel perpetrates a genocide in the Gaza Strip, key players in the labor movement have joined forces to strategize how unions might apply leverage to help bring about an end to the assault. Over the last year, recognizing the widespread opposition to the war among their membership and the potential for dissent inherent in cross-union solidarity, representatives of over 200 U.S. unions — from many dozens of participating locals, to the leaderships of multiple leading national unions — banded together to form The National Labor Network for Ceasefire (NLNC). [ National Labor Network for Ceasefire https://www.laborforceasefire.org ] . . . Mark Dimondstein, as executive director of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU), heads one of the NLNC’s largest member unions, and was one of the coalition’s founding leaders. “This is a working people’s issue,” Dimondstein told Truthout, speaking of the ongoing genocide. “Number one, my union and many other unions believe in social justice and solidarity, including international solidarity. We’re going to take our responsibility by not remaining silent. And the fact of the matter is, this kind of situation in the Middle East could easily lead to a wider war. And who’s asked to fight these wars, if not working people?” The NLNC is premised on the notion that labor can and should take an explicit stance condemning the war crimes on display in Gaza — an issue that fundamentally affects people of the international working class. This is a fairly radical notion for a contemporary American labor union to officially embrace. . . . Some unions were taking official ceasefire positions as early as last fall; Starbucks Workers United, UFCW Local 3000 and UE were among the first, establishing new horizons of possibility. Leading U.S. unions, including Shawn Fain’s UAW and the SEIU, also backed student dissenters and criticized university crackdowns on campus Gaza protests. And, despite early moves against pro-ceasefire locals by AFL-CIO national representatives, the AFL-CIO ultimately backed the demand in February — a nearly unprecedented development. . . . “As time has gone on, we now have called for withholding military aid to force a ceasefire,” said Dimondstein. ... The NLNC organizers have embarked on a public information campaign. In addition to assembling resources and materials on the issue, they have also hosted a series of informational webinars. The first program in February brought together significant union figures, among them UAW President Shawn Fain and NEA President Becky Pringle, along with Michigan’s Palestinian American Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Pennsylvania Rep. Summer Lee. During the webinar, Pringle stated, “As educators we have a moral responsibility … to speak out against violence against innocent people, especially children.” The second NLNC webinar <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOEw1_2np2o> in July sought to reach across international divides and make overtures to the universality of labor solidarity — by taking the noteworthy step of hosting Palestinian trade union leaders, representatives of organized health care, journalism and transportation in Gaza. The connection, Dimondstein noted, was facilitated by the U.K.-based international labor solidarity organization Workers in Palestine <https://www.workersinpalestine.org/>. . . . In addition to the webinars and other educational efforts, the NLNC turned its attention to writing and delivering a letter to the Biden administration in July, which conveyed the concern within the labor movement at the ongoing atrocities. The letter included signatures from seven major unions that wished to demonstrate dissent with Israel’s assault, perpetrated with both the tacit sanction and the overt material support of the United States. ... ... The text of the letter outlined the recent history of failed ceasefire efforts and declared on behalf of the undersigned that, “We believe that immediately cutting US military aid to the Israeli government is necessary to bring about a peaceful resolution to this conflict.… Furthermore, Israel’s refusal to minimize civilian harm and its demonstrated restriction of U.S. humanitarian aid call for a halt to U.S. military aid under the Foreign Assistance Act and the Arms Control Export Act.” . . . The NLNC promises to be a continuing force in the days to come. As Dimondstein reflected, “We’ve probably had some influence on the rest of the labor movement, even if it’s [just] in words. I don’t know if a majority of the unions now have ceasefire positions, but many of them do, including the AFL-CIO. So, I think by getting organized as the National Labor Network, we’re able to put much more of a spotlight on this issue and bring some strength to the issue within the organized labor movement.” By following the early example of the UFCW Local 3000, and at the urging of its early founding members like Dimondstein, the NLNC has at least helped labor advance past a certain political hesitancy. The embrace, even tentatively, of a degree of international working-class solidarity by the AFL-CIO and other leading lights of the movement is a signal of qualitative change. ... . . . Dimondstein was also unequivocal in countering one of the primary discursive tools of Zionist ideology — the wielding of charges of antisemitism as a cudgel against any and all dissenters. “There is a dangerous sentiment out here, pushed by the powers that be, that if you criticize the State of Israel for its inhumanity, for its killings, its war crimes, that somehow you’re anti-Jewish and antisemitic. That’s an effort to quell — and of course, it was used against the campus protesters — that’s an effort to quell dissent. That’s an effort to quell those who fight back,” he said. “I happen to be Jewish, and I’m proud to be Jewish. I have a long history and family history in the fight against fascism. But those of us who are not Zionists, who believe there’s a path to a progressive life in Palestine, are not antisemitic.” Crucially, Dimondstein cited the widespread support of the rank and file for these forays into peace advocacy, and spoke to the sense of a turning tide on Gaza among unionists: “I travel the country — we have all sorts of meetings and conventions all over the country. When I raise this issue, it’s often the biggest round of applause, and the most positive reaction of anything I say. ... . . . -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. 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