UE Becomes First National U.S. Union to Endorse BDS

The resolution also endorses the worldwide BDS movement – Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions – to pressure Israel to end its apartheid over the Palestinians just as similar tactics helped to end South African apartheid in the 1980s. UE is now the first U.S. national union to endorse BDS.

UE, the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers, held its national convention in Baltimore August 16-20.

Delegates acted on 37 resolutions on collective bargaining, organizing, and political issues, and they upheld UE’s long tradition of courageous stands on foreign policy issues when they adopted the resolution on Palestine and Israel. It points to Israel’s long history of violating the human rights of the Palestinians, starting with the ethnic cleansing of 750,000 Palestinians in 1947-48 that turned most of Palestine into the State of Israel. It calls for cutting off U.S. aid to Israel, U.S…