UNITED STATES: « Workers and unions have the capacity to stop shipments » to Israel

Erica Caines, activist with Ujima People’s Progress Party
(a labour and black political organization in the state of Maryland)

In our previous letter we published a call from activists in labor and black organizations in the U.S. declaring that it was the responsibility of labor organization leaders to demand a halt to all military and financial aid to the state of Israel. Erica Caines is an activist with the Ujima People’s Progress Party, a black and labor political organization in the state of Maryland, whose leaders are signatories to this appeal.

It is very important to get unions involved. There has been a plethora of calls for strikes “in solidarity with Palestine”, but those calls have not really involved unions: it is a missed opportunity.

A few weeks after October 7th, activists were gathering around shipping yards to halt, for a few hours at least, shipments to Israel. This can make that impact because, these are material things: why is the US sup- porting Israel? And it has much to do with Israel’s position in that region and the US needing to maintain a position in that region.

Should Israel fall, the US no longer has any stronghold in that region and cannot maintain its hegemony. That is why the US is gripping tighter in support of Israel. We know that there have been decisions about Gaza, specifically in terms of access to these pipelines, particular pipelines that the US is trying to draw upon.

If we can stop shipments, this will have a real monetary impact. So, I think that speaks to why unions and workers need to be involved because they have the ability to stop these shipments. Because that is where the significant and material impact of workers could be felt. I can’t speak of or know of a time where Palestine has received this much support . But the government is still supporting Israel, right? But if labor was involved or if trade unions were involved, and they were to simply no move, no ship, no arms-carrying plane, no more… then that would have an impact.

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