August/September 2005

http://alawda.newjerseysolidarity.org

Labor for Palestine: Conference Report

On July 23, 2005, the Labor for Palestine (LFP) campaign held its first national convention in Chicago on the issues of Palestine, labor and the National AFL-CIO. Although the AFL-CIO has since taken a stand against the US occupation of Iraq, it has not called on Israel to dismantle the illegal Annexation Wall, nor has it recognized IsraelÂ’s institution of an apartheid-like state against Palestinian workers and people.

The day-long event had over 70 attendees, consisting of trade unionists and social justice activists from around the country. Speakers included Palestinian and solidarity activists, with backgrounds in union law, local labor committees and student organizations, to name a few. Among the issues examined was the moral negligence of the AFL-CIO’s leadership by supporting Israel, and the importance of educating workers on Palestine.

The conference also looked at how the AFL-CIO can be brought to follow the example of labor around the world, which has come to the defense of Palestinian workers and unions. Finally, the event’s organizers, who represent a growing number of unions and organizations, presented the LFP Divestment Resolution on Israel Bonds. The resolution will be widely distributed to union locals throughout the United States seeking further endorsements.

In addition to educating workers on the colonial occupation of Palestine, the conference had several tangible achievements. Attendees endorsed the LFP Open Letter – the campaign’s founding document – and pledged their future support to LFP initiatives.

One of the most significant undertakings will be the LFP Teaching Tour, which plans to bring Palestinian teachers to the United States to meet with educators’ unions and other labor groups and to build bridges of solidarity. The tour is intended to coincide with a West Coast Education conference planned for Los Angeles.

Labor for Palestine has also committed to mobilize for the September 24 (2005) demonstration in Washington, DC, which was initiated by the ANSWER Coalition, and will include the Palestinian right to return as one of its primary demands. The LFP campaign, a project initiated by Al-Awda NY and New York City Labor Against the War, was born out of the Right to Return movement.

In the longer term, LFP has committed to organize labor delegations to Palestine, starting with an initial group in 2006. As experience has demonstrated, such delegations harness personal alliances between Americans and Palestinians, and build bridges of understanding about life under occupation.

The LFP convention was a success despite time constraints and limited funds. Most of its organizers, who spent countless hours on conference calls and emails, were meeting for the first time. For these individuals, the event was a fruitful learning experience.

The spirit of international solidarity carried into the following day as many conference attendants took part in the “Build Unity and Trust With Workers Worldwide” demonstration on the Chicago Navy Pier (the site of the AFL-CIO Convention). As a campaign that promotes an authentic labor conscience in America, particularly in the global perspective, this was a fitting note on which to end.

The future of LFP depends on this conscience, and its endorsers are bound to the conviction that organized labor is a vehicle through which just causes are won. On that note, LFP invites you to help build a sound perspective of solidarity with workers around the world.