This resolution was passed at the January 2025 Quarterly Membership Meeting via Zoom on January 19, 2025.
Resolution: Staff Guidelines for Engagement in a Democratic, Member-led UAWD
Submitted by Andrew Bergman (Local 22), Jessie Kelly (Local 160), Martha Grevatt (Local 869)
Whereas, in the UAW’s initial statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza on December 1, 2023, the UAW IEB stated “the Executive Board voted to form a Divestment and Just Transition working group to study the history of Israel and Palestine, the union’s economic ties to the conflict, and to explore how to achieve a just transition for US workers from war to peace.”
Whereas, the UAW IEB signed a July 23, 2024 letter from seven unions stating, “President Biden, We write to publicly call upon your Administration to immediately halt all military aid to Israel as part of the work to secure an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the war in Gaza.”
Whereas, the UAW has conducted internal polling of membership indicating that UAW members support ending the genocide in Gaza and support the UAW’s call for a ceasefire and a military aid embargo on israel.
Whereas, with Trump assuming power, which brings in an administration that is more committed to sending weapons to Israel and other US allies committing atrocities, it is even more important to have an independent working class movement that is ready to fight for a just transition and take collective action to block weapons shipments.
Whereas, at our December 2023 membership meeting, UAWD took a position committing, “to organizing support for Palestinian liberation and BDS among rank-and-file UAW members, and to making BDS the official position of the UAW International.”
Whereas, UAWD members in the UAWD Palestine Solidarity and Peace Economy Committee and in UAW Labor for Palestine have created a wealth of educational and organizing materials designed for manufacturing workers.
Be is resolved, UAWD calls on our UAWD-endorsed IEB members to begin a program of directly educating rank-and-file weapons manufacturing workers about how they would ultimately benefit from a just transition to a peace economy and the power they have to benefit their own conditions and the broader international working class through participating in concerted strike activity and an arms embargo. This could include:
- Hosting in-person IEB-led Town Halls for rank-and-file UAW-represented workers at General Dynamics, Caterpillar, and other companies that send weapons to Israel; these could occur before or after Local membership meetings to enable membership attendance;
- Hosting a virtual IEB-led Town Hall for rank-and-file weapons workers;
- Using UAW contact lists to directly mail or email UAW weapons workers, with links to recordings of trainings and the town halls listed above;
- Hosting meetings of UAW-represented weapons workers to develop creative just transition contract demands that help shift work away from weapons production;
- Creating a Just Transition Committee for rank-and-file weapons workers in the UAW to be able to develop and share just transition demands and strategies;
- Bringing together UAW-represented weapons and academic workers to develop a parallel plan to end the participation in research that benefits the Israeli state and/or the military-industrial complex.
Be it further resolved, the UAWD Steering Committee shall work with the co-chairs of the UAWD Palestine Solidarity and Peace Economy Committee and facilitators of UAW Labor for Palestine, who are UAWD members, to write an email to our five UAWD-endorsed IEB members, notifying them of this resolution and providing links to training materials developed by UAWD and/or UAW Labor for Palestine regarding BDS, an arms embargo, and a just transition.