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200+ Unions Launch Network to Push for Gaza Cease-Fire
"The support for a cease-fire is overwhelming," said one union leader. "We can't stand by in the face of this suffering. We cannot bomb our way to peace."
Feb 16, 2024
Seven national and over 200 local labor unions in the United States on Friday announced the establishment of a coalition to promote a cease-fire in Israel's genocidal war on Gaza.
The American Postal Workers Union (APWU), the Association of Flight Attendants, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, the National Education Association, National Nurses United (NNU), the United Auto Workers (UAW), and the United Electrical Workers (UE), and 200 local unions and labor organizations launched the National Labor Network for Cease-fire (NLNC) to "end the death and devastation" in Gaza.
The coalition says it represents more than 9 million union workers—"more than half the labor movement in the United States."
"The war between Israel and Hamas has continued unabated since Hamas brutally attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,163 people, and taking 253 hostages," NLNC said in a statement.
"Israel responded with an onslaught that has killed over 28,000 Palestinians and left over 67,000 others injured," while "1.7 million Palestinians have been displaced, and humanitarian aid remains mostly blocked from those in need," the coalition added.
NLCN is calling for:
- An immediate cease-fire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas;
- Restoration of basic human rights;
- The immediate release of hostages taken by Hamas;
- Unimpeded full access for humanitarian aid; and
- A call for a cease-fire by U.S. President Joe Biden.
In his strongest statement yet, Biden—who has been dubbed "Genocide Joe" by some activists for his staunch support for Israel—said Friday that he has called for a "temporary cease-fire" during private phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Leaders of the seven unions—most of which have already called for a cease-fire—issued statements underscoring the imperative for peace.
"The UAW has a long tradition of calling for peace and justice for working-class people across the globe, and we live that tradition today," UAW president Shawn Fain said. "In that spirit, we call for an immediate end to the U.S. government's funding and support of this brutal assault on Gaza."
Carl Rosen, UE's president, said: "The support for a cease-fire is overwhelming. We can't stand by in the face of this suffering. We cannot bomb our way to peace. We express our solidarity with all workers and our common desire for peace in Palestine and Israel."
APWU president Mark Dimondstein said that "as a union that stands for equality, social justice, human and labor rights, we unite with unions and people of goodwill around the world in calls for a cease-fire, for justice and peace. The cries of humanity call for nothing less."
Bonnie Castillo, the NNU's executive director, asserted that "nurses cannot allow our patients and our colleagues to continue suffering from the traumas of war."
"We vow to protect and heal all people, and it's our duty to speak up for every human being's right to a life free of violence," she added. "We're calling for a cease-fire now before one more life is lost, before one more family faces injuries or illnesses."
The NLCN's formation follows last week's cease-fire call by the AFL-CIO, the nation's largest labor federation.
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Sanders Holds Senate Hearing on Medicare for All
The Vermont senator is also expected to introduce an updated version of his Medicare for All legislation with 14 Senate co-sponsors.
May 12, 2022
Sen. Bernie Sanders is set to lead a Senate Budget Committee hearing on Medicare for All on Thursday as the coronavirus pandemic continues to lay bare the deadly dysfunction and greed at the heart of the United States' for-profit healthcare system.
The hearing, scheduled to begin at 11:00 am ET, will feature testimony from a number of experts and advocates, including former Michigan gubernatorial candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, critical care physician Dr. Adam Gaffney, and National Nurses United executive director Bonnie Castillo.
"We are seeing unprecedented momentum for Medicare for All not just among nurses, but as part of a growing movement demanding health justice," Castillo said in a statement ahead of Thursday's hearing. "It is past time for the United States government to listen to nurses and listen to the people as we demand: Pass Medicare for All and guarantee healthcare as a human right."
Sanders (I-Vt.), the chair of the budget panel, is also expected to introduce an updated version of his Medicare for All legislation on Thursday with 14 Senate co-sponsors.
The Vermont senator has long argued that a single-payer system that provides comprehensive healthcare to all for free at the point of service would save both lives and money.
In a statement Thursday, Sanders' office noted that estimates show "Medicare for All could save 68,000 lives per year, and numerous studies find that Medicare for All saves the American people and the U.S. healthcare system billions of dollars a year."
"According to the Congressional Budget Office, Medicare for All would save $650 billion each year, improve the economy, and eliminate all out-of-pocket healthcare costs," the statement observes. "Even a study done by the right-wing Mercatus Center estimated that Medicare for All would save more than $2 trillion over a decade."
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Union Head Rejects CDC Covid Guidelines That Put 'Corporate Interests' Over Pilot Safety
"No pilot should feel pressured to fly before they are medically fit to do so. Period."
Dec 30, 2021
The head of North America's largest pilots union said Thursday that its members would "follow the science" regarding Covid-19 safety precautions as opposed to new guidance released by the CDC earlier this week which critics say put the needs of corporate profits over worker safety.
"We've followed the science throughout the pandemic and will not allow corporate interests to replace the good judgment pilots show daily in making decisions about whether they are healthy to fly," said Capt. Joe DePete, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, which represents pilots at 38 airlines in the U.S. and Canada.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been under fire in recent days after announcing that instead of waiting 10 days as previously recommended, people who test positive for Covid-19 should wait just five days before returning to work and other activities while wearing a face mask. The guidance does not specify that people should take a Covid-19 test before leaving isolation, sparking shock amongst public health experts.
"We've followed the science throughout the pandemic and will not allow corporate interests to replace the good judgment pilots show daily."
Labor advocates have also expressed anger over the guidelines, which were released after the airline industry lobbied federal officials with the complaint that the 10-day protocol would "exacerbate personnel shortages and create significant disruptions to our workforce and operations" as the Omicron variant spreads across the country.
Delta Air Lines promptly appeared to take advantage of the CDC's new guidelines this week, releasing a new sick leave policy Tuesday that provides five days of paid leave for workers who have Covid-19 and encouraging--but not requiring--a negative test to return to work. The new policy does not specify whether employees should continue staying home if they still have symptoms.
"That support for workers who are still sick is not there and the thrust of this is pushing people to come to work in the middle of this busy holiday travel season," Nelson told CNBC Thursday.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky defended the new guidance this week, saying the five-day isolation period would be more tolerable for people and that if a person isolates for five days right after testing positive, they will be staying away from others when they are "maximally infectious."
"We shortened the time to encourage people to do the right thing," Walensky told CBS Wednesday.
As Common Dreams reported Sunday, National Nurses United (NNU) has also condemned the CDC for weakening public health precautions amid warnings that Omicron will continue spreading rapidly across the U.S. in the coming weeks.
NNU executive director Bonnie Castillo asked whether the agency aims to encourage Americans to do "the right thing for our health and safety? Or the right thing for our bosses' wallets?"
\u201c"Encourage people to do the right thing," @CDCDirector?\n\nYou mean the right thing for our health and safety? Or the right thing for our bosses' wallets? \ud83e\udd14\n\nWe demand the @CDCgov act to protect #PublicHealth, not corporate wealth!\u201d— Bonnie Castillo (@Bonnie Castillo) 1640892578
Also on Thursday, Michigan health officials urged residents to continue following the state's guidance to isolate for 10 days if they test positive, whether they are symptomatic or not, and for 14 days if they are unvaccinated and have an exposure.
"Good choice," tweeted Detroit-based surgeon and scientist Dr. David Gorski, addressing the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. "The CDC's new guidelines are dubious at best."
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