On November 30th, the UAW International Union joined the call for a permanent ceasefire in Palestine and Israel. In a motion put forward by Region 6 Director Mike Miller (a founding member of UAW Local 2865) and Region 9A Director Brandon Mancilla, our International Executive Board (IEB) adopted a resolution to sign on to the US Labor for Ceasefire letter. UAW Region 6, which includes UAW Locals 2865 and 5810, first signed onto this letter on October 21.
We, members of the American labor movement, mourn the loss of life in Israel and Palestine. We express our solidarity with all workers and our common desire for peace in Palestine and Israel, and we call on President Joe Biden and Congress to push for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the siege of Gaza. We cannot bomb our way to peace. We also condemn any hate crimes against Muslims, Jews, or anyone else.
Read the statement in its entirety here. This makes the International UAW the largest union in the country to call for a permanent ceasefire.
The resolution by our International Union follows the October 13 statement by our own Local Executive Board calling on California lawmakers to demand a ceasefire and an end to the occupation of Palestine. This statement was affirmed by the Joint Councils of both UAW 2865 and 5810 on October 28 and then forwarded to members of the International Executive Board inviting them to work with our Local Unions towards this cause.
As part of the international labor movement, we share the mission of seeking justice for fellow workers everywhere. Nothing could be more destructive to workers’ lives than war and occupation. We’re proud that our union has taken up the call to end the terrible war on Gaza, just as we took up the call to end Apartheid in South Africa a generation ago, and we look forward to working with UAW elected leaders, rank-and-file members, and people of conscience across the world to achieve an end to the occupation of Palestine and a just and lasting peace. Our efforts to build power and seek justice here in California can have a global reach when we answer the call for solidarity.
Our International Executive Board has also committed to form a Divestment and Just Transition working group, which will investigate our union’s potential economic ties to the conflict and explore how we can effect a just transition from war to peace for US workers.
In solidarity,
Rafael Jaime
President, UAW Local 2865
Neal Sweeney
President, UAW Local 5810