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News :: International Relations : Labor |
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US Labor Activists work with Palestinian Rights Group at the Million Worker March |
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by Scott Satterwhite
Email: mylxine (nospam) hotmail.com |
26 Oct 2004
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Washington, DC-On Sunday, October 17th, around 10,000 people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial to fight for the rights of working people everywhere. The "Million Worker March", which may have fallen short of its name but still was a powerful presence, was organized by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union to show opposition to the attack on working people in America and the world over.
Among the many organizations represented, such as the Postal Workers Union, National Education Association, Black Caucus of Teamsters, and the Industrial Workers of the World (to name a few), a new group was introduced. Labor for Palestine (http://www.al-awdany.org/lfp/), a part of Palestine solidarity group Al-Awda New York, held a table at the Washington, DC labor rally and walked around the event handing out fliers and pamphlets to all the union women and men present.
The concept of Labor for Palestine came out of the New York City Labor Against War (NYCLAW) as a response to the worsening living conditions of Palestinians under the Israeli occupation. It is also directly linked with the growing Israeli divestment campaign.
"We want the same kind of divestment campaign with Israel as with South Africa,"Zach Wales, a representative of Labor for Palestine said. "The best way to do this, we feel, is with labor. A lot can be learned of the power of divestment from the South African example."
The MWM was endorsed by dozens of major unions across the country, including many Palestine solidarity organizations. Of the mainstream labor endorsers, one notable exception to the long list of supporters was the AFL-CIO. In a statement by the head of the AFL-CIO, John Sweeney said that while the union may agree with many of the aims of the march, it would not endorse the demonstration.
A statement from the AFL-CIO leadership read "We encourage our state federations, area councils and central labor councils not to sponsor or devote resources to the demonstrations in Washington, D.C. but instead to remain focused on the election..."
The Million Worker March's organizing committee sent a rapid response to the AFL-CIO. "Working people in America are under siege. The corporate and banking oligarchy that has power in this society is waging class war against us all. In the face of attack after attack, the response of the leaders of the AFL-CIO has been silence and default." (to read the entire response, which is worth the read, go to http://www.millionworkermarch.org/article.php?id=55 )
Besides the organizers of the MWM, many others have felt that the AFL-CIO has not been acting in the best interest of labor, which is a major reason why Labor for Palestine came into being. In fact, the AFL-CIO, as a large investor in Israel, is one of the main targets of Labor for Palestine. A statement by Labor For Palestine stated:
"Increasing numbers of U.S. Union members, including many Jewish members, do not believe that the cause of peace in Palestine/Israel is forwarded by using our Union dues and tax dollars to help oppress the working people of Palestine and destroy their homes and livelihoods."
LFP points out that the AFL-CIO has over 5 billion dollars invested in the state of Israel and has refused to condemn that country's government for its constant attacks on the working people of Palestine. Attacks that have occurred through various means, whether it is the uprooting of over one million olive and fruit trees, a main source of income for people of the region, or for the killings of almost 4,000 Palestinians (over 800 of which were children).
The AFL-CIO has also failed to publicly condemn the Israel for the murder of one of its own, Rachel Corrie. Rachel Corrie, as an activist with the International Solidarity Movement, was killed in 2003 after being run over by an army bulldozer while attempting to stop a home demolition. Before going to Palestine with the International Solidarity Movement, Rachel Corrie was a member of SIUE 1199 NW in Olympia, Washington, which is affiliated with the AFL-CIO.
Labor for Palestine hopes that a concerted effort to bring US labor into the divestment campaign could bring attention to the growing movement and help end the Israeli system of Apartheid in Palestine. |
See also:
http://www.al-awdany.org/lfp/
http://www.millionworkermarch.org
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This work is in the public domain |
