The US Labor Movement Calls for a Halt to US Military Aid to Bring a Ceasefire to the Region

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  • The National Labor Network for Ceasefire calls for the following:
  • There must be a ceasefire in Gaza, and the fundamental rights of people must be restored.
  • The hostages taken by Hamas must be immediately released, along with the release of Palestinian prisoners of war.
  • To achieve these ends, the U.S. Government must halt military aid to Israel immediately

The US Labor Movement Calls for a Halt to US Military Aid to Bring a Ceasefire to the Region

We, members of the American labor movement, mourn the loss of life in Israel, Palestine, and Lebanon. We express our solidarity with all workers and a shared desire for peace in Palestine and Israel and condemn all acts of hate committed against Muslims, Jews, or anyone else. We call on the President and Congress to uphold U.S. and international law and halt lethal military aid to the Israeli government to secure an immediate ceasefire that releases the hostages, ends the violence and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and prevents further escalation in the region. The Israeli government cannot bomb its way to peace. With this call, U.S. unions join the voices of more than 90 members of Congress, a majority of the American people, and others calling for an immediate ceasefire.

There must be a ceasefire in Gaza, and the fundamental rights of people must be restored. Humanitarian aid must be allowed into Gaza, power must be restored, the rebuilding of infrastructure must begin, and those requiring medical care must be allowed out of Gaza to get the help they desperately need.

The hostages taken by Hamas must be immediately released, along with the release of Palestinian prisoners of war. Both Hamas and the Israeli government must adhere to standards of international law and the Geneva Convention provisions concerning the welfare and security of civilians and prisoners of war.

To achieve these ends, the U.S. Government must halt military aid to Israel immediately. The U.S. government is supplying Israel with arms worth billions of dollars (more than $22 billion in direct and indirect aid in 2024 alone) that are being used in violation of U.S. and international law to target civilian populations. The Israeli military has made Gaza uninhabitable — damaging two-thirds of its buildings, disrupting the livelihoods of more than 2 million people, and killing more than 43,500 people. Palestinians in Gaza face famine and preventable diseases as the Israeli government has restricted the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The death toll includes many of our union siblings, including hundreds of healthcare workers, media workers, engineers, and civil servants killed on the job.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right ministers have refused repeated attempts to negotiate a ceasefire and have made it clear they will not stop the killing until they are forced to. Netanyahu is enabled by the continuous supply of weapons

predominantly from the United States, the Israeli government’s largest and most important source of arms and military aid.

The unchecked supply of weapons has emboldened Netanyahu to expand the conflict to multiple countries and is drawing the U.S. into a growing regional war. To obtain a ceasefire in Gaza, secure the release of hostages, and de-escalate the regional conflict, the transfer of this destructive U.S. military aid must be halted. The U.S. is the only country with sufficient leverage to pressure Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire, which will make possible the release of hostages and reopen the flow of humanitarian aid.

The U.S. must act. The U.S. government bears great responsibility. We call on the President to immediately halt lethal U.S. military aid to Israel and to escalate its call for a ceasefire between Hamas and the Israeli government.

The escalation of war and arms sales does not serve the interests of workers. Workers everywhere want a place to call home and for our families to be safe. Working people around the world deserve to live free from the effects of violence, war, and militarism.

The labor movement calls on the President and Congress to hear our voices. We demand a ceasefire and a halt to the U.S. military aid enabling the devastation in the Middle East. Together, we can stand for peace, justice, and a better future for working people everywhere.

Please sign and organizationally endorse this call for a halt to US Military Aid to Israel to bring a ceasefire to the region.

National Labor Network for Ceasefire Members include:

American Postal Workers Union (APWU) – Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA) – National Nurses United (NNU) – International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) – National Education Association (NEA) – National Writers Union (NWU) – United Auto Workers (UAW) – United Electrical Workers (UE)

For questions or media inquiries: contact@laborforceasefire.org

Videos and Meetings

Building Bridges to Peace - A National Labor Network for Ceasefire webinar

The viewpoints expressed by individual speakers in this webinar belong solely to those individuals and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of the National Labor Network For Ceasefire or the other individuals participating in this webinar.

Working people around the world have mourned the tragic loss of life in Israel and Palestine since Hamas’s brutal attack in Israel on October 7, 2023. As trade unionists, we stand in solidarity with workers everywhere, and join in movements leading towards a just and peaceful world, which upholds our values of democracy, equality and the respect for human and labor rights.

The ongoing tragedy in Israel and Gaza makes the prospects of a just and peaceful world more remote.

Our unions are united in our call for a ceasefire in Gaza. To achieve a just and lasting peace, the bombing must stop, the hostages must be released, and the humanitarian aid that is so needed in Gaza must be realized.

Together, we have formed the National Labor Network for a Ceasefire. We stand for peace, justice, and a better future for working people everywhere.

Our unions are made up of educators and electric workers, tradespeople and transportation workers, autoworkers and flight attendants, nurses and care workers, postal workers and public servants, and many more.

American unions which have called for a ceasefire now represent the majority of the organized labor movement.

The National Labor Network for a Ceasefire will continue to organize among the labor movement to increase the size and volume of that call.

Read the original unity statement from the National Labor for Ceasefire on Nov. 22, 2023.

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 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.

In issuing this call, U.S. unions are joining the efforts of 13 Congressmembers and others who are calling for an immediate ceasefire.

The basic rights of people must be restored. Water, fuel, food, and other humanitarian aid must be allowed into Gaza, power must be restored, and foreign nationals and Palestinians requiring medical care must be allowed out of Gaza.

The Israeli hostages taken by Hamas must be immediately released. Both Hamas and Israel must adhere to standards of international law and Geneva Convention rules of warfare concerning the welfare and security of civilians.

There must be a ceasefire in Gaza. The cycle of violence must stop so that negotiations for an enduring peace proceed.

The U.S. must act. We call on President Biden to immediately call for a ceasefire.

The road to justice cannot be paved by bombs and war. The road to peace cannot be found through warfare. We commit ourselves to work in solidarity with the Palestinian and Israeli peoples to achieve peace and justice.

Union members come from diverse backgrounds, including Jews, Muslims, and Middle Eastern communities. The rising escalation of war and arms sales doesn’t serve the interests of workers anywhere. In the end, we all want a place to call home and for our children to be safe. Working people around the world want and deserve to live free from the effects of violence, war and militarization.

Thousands of Americans have joined the groundswell of global solidarity demanding a ceasefire now.

It’s the labor movement’s turn to make our voices heard and demand a ceasefire. Together, we can stand for peace, justice, and a better future for working people everywhere.

Signed by over 200 unions and organizations, including:

UFCW 3000  •  UE (United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America)  •  UAW  •  Association of Flight Attendants (AFA)  •  IUPAT  •  National Nurses United (NNU)  •  American Postal Workers Union  •  4Cs SEIU Local 1973  •  1199SEIU UHWE  •  AAUP Advocacy Chapter at GVSU / AFT Local 6741  •  AAUP Council  •  AAUP Lewis & Clark Chapter  •  ACLU D.C. Staff United  •  ACLU SoCal Stronger Together NOLSW (UAW Local 2320)  •  AFGE Local 704  •  AFSCME District Council 47  •  AFSCME Local 189  •  AFSCME Local 240  •  AFSCME Local 1215  •  AFSCME Local 1808  •  AFSCME Local 2083, Seattle Public Library Employees  •  AFSCME Local 2298  •  AFSCME Local 3425  •  AFT Vermont  •  AFT Local 527 (United Teachers of New Orleans)  •  AFT 1789 Seattle Colleges  •  AFT Guild, Local 1931  •  AFT Vermont  •  AFT Washington  •  AFT Washington Retiree Chapter 8045 R  • AFT-SPS Local 6550  •  AVP Unites OPEIU Local 153 AFL-CIO  •  Albany County Central Federation of Labor  •  Albuquerque Teachers Federation, AFT 1420  •  Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU Local 1336)  •  Amarillo Education Association  •  Amazon Employees for Climate Justice (AECJ)  •  Amazon Labor Union Democratic Reform Caucus  •  American Federation of Teachers – Oregon  •  American Postal Workers Union, Local 140  •  American Postal Workers Union, Local 390  •  Amherst Pelham Education Association  •  Andover Education Association  •  The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839  •  Association of Flight Attendants-CWA  •  Association of Legislative Employees – NYC Council Union  •  Austin Central Labor Council  •  Austin Federation of Musicians, Local 433 American Federation of Musicians  •  Baltimore Teachers Union, Local 340  •  Barnard Contingent Faculty Local 2110 UAW  •  Bay Area Legal Aid Workers, UAW Local 2320  •  Berkeley Federation of Teachers, AFT 1078  •  Boston Public Library Professional Staff Association, MLSA Local 4928, AFT  •  Boston Teachers Union  •  Bunker Hill Community College Professional Association  •  CNA-NNOC  •  CWA Local 7901  •  CWA Staff Guild  •  California Association of Professional Scientists (CAPS-UAW Local 1115)  •  California Faculty Association, Los Angeles/SEIU 1983  •  California Faculty Association (San Jose State University Chapter)  •  California Staff Organization (CSO)  •  California Teachers Association  •  Caucus of Rank and File Educators (CORE)  •  Central Ohio Worker Center  •  Chicago Teachers Union  •  Coalition of Graduate Employees AFT local 6069  •  Coalition of Labor Union Women  •  Communication Workers of America, Local 1104  •  Communications Workers of America, Local 1168  •  Communications Workers of America, Local 7250  •  Communication Workers of America, Local 9415  •  Communities and Postal Workers United  •  Dearborn Federation of Teachers 681  •  Democratic Socialists of America Union  •  Duke Graduate Students Union (DGSU)  •  Education Austin, Local #2048 (NEA/AFT)  •  Egyptian Americans for Democracy and Human Rights NY-NJ  •  Faculty Staff Union, University of Massachusetts (Boston)  •  Federal Way Education Association  •  Field Services Organization (Massachusetts)  •  Field Staff Organization MTA  •  Fordham Faculty United  •  GEU-UAW, Local 6950, Univ. of CT  •  GTFF – AFT Local 3544  •  Graduate Employees’ Organization (AFT-MI Local 3550)  •  Graduate Employees’ Organizing Committee, AFT Local 6123, Wayne State Univ.  •  Graduate Employees’ Organization, UI at Urbana-Champaign, IFT/AFT Local 6300  •  Graduate Labor Organization, Brown University, Local 6516  •  Greenfield Community College Professional Association (chapter of MCCC)  •  Harlandale Education Association (NEA affiliate)  •  Harvard Graduate Students Union HGSU-UAW Local 5118  •  Hawaii State Teachers Association  •  Hawai’i State Teachers Staff Organization  •  Heartland Labor Forum  •  Henrico Education Association  •  Highline Education Association  •  IATSE Local 15  •  IATSE Local 18  •  IATSE LOCAL 161  •  IATSE Local 195  •  IBEW 58  •  IBEW Local 429  •  IBEW Local 520  •  IBEW 553  •  IBEW Local 666  •  IBEW Local 716  •  IFPTE Local 194  •  The ILWU Local 5 Executive Board  •  IUPAT Local 510  •  Illinois Nurses Association  •  Illinois Education Association Staff Organization  •  Industrial Workers of the World  •  Industrial Workers of the World Mid-Valley Branch  •  Industrial Workers of the World, Missoula Branch  •  Industrial Workers of the World, NYC General Membership Branch  •  Industrial Workers of the World, North Star Branch  •  Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific-Southern California Region  •  Inter Faculty Organization (IFO)  •  International Union of Painters & Allied Trades, District Council 35  •  International Union of Painters & Allied Trades Local 939  •  Interpreters United WFSE Local 1671  •  Iowa City Federation of Labor  •  Jobs With Justice  •  Labor Express Radio  •  Labor Rise Climate Jobs Action Group  •  Los Rios College Federation of Teachers, AFT 2279  •  Luther Burbank Education Association/CTA/NEA  •  Malden Education Association  •  Massachusetts State College Association  •  Massachusetts Teachers Association  •  Massachusetts Teacher’s Association Retired Member’s Committee  •  Melrose Education Association  •  Minnesota Nurses Association  •  Montebello Teachers Association  •  Monterey Bay Central Labor Council  •  Mother Jones Staff Union  •  NJ State Industrial Union Council  •  NOLSW LLA, Detroit  •  NUHHCE District 1199NM  •  NUHW Staff United (NSU)  •  NY Debt Collective  •  New Haven Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 933  •  New Labor  •  New Jersey Industrial Union Council  •  New Seasons Labor Union  •  New York Taxi Workers Alliance  •  Newberry Workers United (AFSCME Local 2788)  •  Northside AFT, Local 3216  •  Northwestern University Graduate Workers UE Local 1122  •  North Shore Labor Council  •  OPAL Workers Union  •  OPEIU Local 2  •  OPEIU Local 8  •  OPEIU Local 1794  •  One Fair Wage  •  Oregon Education Association  •  PERU CWA Local 7901  •    PNWSU 3000  •  PROTEC17  •  PSC CUNY, AFT 2334  •  Pacific Media Workers Guild, CWA Local 39521  •  Philadelphia Labor for Black Lives Coalition  •  Portland Association of Teachers  •  Portland Jobs with Justice  •  Pratt Workers United  •  Pride at Work/Eastern Massachusetts  •  Professional Staff Congress CUNY  •  Project Underdog International  •  Renton Education Association  •  Restaurant Workers United  •  Reynolds Education Association  •  Rhode Island Federation of Teachers  •  Richmond (VA) Education Association  •  Rutgers AAUP-AFT Executive Council  •  Rutgers Adjunct Union AFT-AAUP Local 6324  •  SEIU 1199NE  •  SEIU Healthcare PA  •  SEIU Local 500  •  SEIU Local 503  •  SEIU-United Service Workers West (USWW)  •  Sacramento City Teachers Association  •  San Antonio Alliance of Teachers & Support Personnel NEA/AFT Local 67  •  San Antonio AFL-CIO Central Labor Council  •  San Diego County Association of Educators  •  San Diego Education Association  •  San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council  •  San Diego Labor Democratic Club  •  Saint Paul Federation of Educators, Local 28  •  Seattle Education Association  •  Somerville Educators Union  •  Soundview Uniserv Council  •  TAUP, AFT 4531  •  Springfield Education Association (MTA)  •  Stanford Graduate Workers Union – UE  •  Tacoma Education Association  •  Texas State Teachers Association  •  Teachers and Researchers United, The JHU Grad Union (UE Local 197)  •  Teaching Assistants’ Association UW-Madison (AFT Local 3220)  •  Texas State Employees Union, CWA Local 6186  •  Troy Area Labor Council  •  UAW Region 6  •  UAW Region 9A  •  UAW Local 230  •  UAW Local 492  •  UAW Local 2324  •  UAW Local 2865  •  UC-AFT Local 1474  •  UE Local 256 MIT Graduate Student Union  •  UFCW Local 365 – Washington Public Employees Association  •  UFCW Local 1459  •  UGW-UE 1466, United Graduate Workers of New Mexico  •  UIC United Faculty, AFT-AAUP Local 6456  •  UNITE HERE Local 8  •  UNITE HERE Local 25  •  UNITE HERE Local 274  •  UPTE CWA 9119  •  USW Local 3657  •  USW Local 9544  •  Unemployed Workers United  •  Unidad Latina en Acción NJ  •  Union Employees Union, Local 1  •  Union of Open Markets Staff  •  Union of Unite Here Staff  •  Union of United Staff – Teamsters Local 223  •  Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD)  •  United Academics – University of New Mexico, AFT/AAUP Local 6662  •  United Campus Workers CWA Local 3765  •  United for the Many  •  United Labor of Tufts Resident Assistants (OPEIU Local 153)  •  United Steelworkers Local 675  •  United Steelworkers Local 3657  •  United Teachers Los Angeles (NEA, AFT 1021)  •  United Teachers of Richmond, CTA/NEA  •  United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers Local 36  •  United Union Professionals  •  Vancouver Education Association  •  WFSE/AFSCME Local 304  •  Washington Education Association (WEA)  •  Washington Education Association Staff Organization (WEASO)  •  Washington State Nurses Association  •  Western Massachusetts Area Labor Federation (AFL-CIO)  •  Workers United International Union  •  Working-Class Studies Association 

Union Statements and Resolutions Calling for a Ceasefire