Two Films for Palestine and WSLC Resolution

PASS & Olympia Film Society present a film screening for Palestine:
September 8th
6pm doors
7pm start
more info

Join us for a film screening of the films 'Imprisoning a Generation' and 'Returning to Zarnouqa' followed by Q & A with the Director, and discussion moderated by Therese Saliba and Dr. Emily Antoon-Walsh. Bake sale and raffle before the film screening.

Proceeds benefit MECA (Middle Eastern Children's Alliance).

Resolution Calling for an Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza #2024.39

WHEREAS, Washington’s Labor movement recognizes the historical complexities that have driven this conflict, which cannot be reduced to blunt narratives. Fundamentally, however, we believe that people have rights to self-determination, security, and economic opportunity in their ancestral homelands; and

WHEREAS, war and the on-going systemic violence in Gaza is almost always felt most deeply by those with the least power to affect it; workers, their families, and children. Every US resource expended in the pursuit of war, is a resource not otherwise spent on health, education, housing, infrastructure, and the kind of economic development that improves lives and promotes a stable, peaceful, and healthful future for the working class in the US and all over the world; and

WHEREAS, preventing war is a union matter, and over 200 US Labor Unions and Organizations including many in the Washington State AFL-CIO have called for a just peace; and

WHEREAS, the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions has called upon the U.S. labor movement to stand in solidarity with the tens of thousands of Palestinian workers facing starvation and loss of livelihood within Gaza; and 

WHEREAS The United States government and military contractors play an active role in arming the Israeli military, which is currently engaged in a siege against Gaza, which human rights organizations like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Israeli group B'Tselem have called a humanitarian crisis; and

WHEREAS, the bombing of Gaza has resulted in over 38,000 Palestinian deaths (including almost 15,000 children) and over 88,000 injuries; and 

WHERAS, Palestinians and their infrastructure have been devastated by the response; and

WHEREAS, we acknowledge the grief and pain caused by the blockade on Gaza, and the unconscionable acts on October 7 by Hamas, and stand in solidarity with the families affected by these actions and those being held in captivity; and

WHEREAS, far too many Palestinians and Israelis have been killed, and far too many Palestinians and Israelis have had their lives and livelihoods destroyed. As a working-class movement, the toll this war has taken on thousands of innocent people, particularly innocent children is unacceptable; and

WHEREAS, further shedding of blood in Gaza, the continued destruction of homes, schools, hospitals, refugee camps, humanitarian aid, and workplaces, and the infliction of more pain and anguish will not bring peace and security to either Palestinians or Israelis. Moreover, there is real danger of the expansion of the current violence in Gaza to other nations in the Middle East and beyond; and

WHEREAS, a wave of hate and incitement to violence in the United States has been unleashed, with appalling demonstrations of anti-Arab discrimination, antisemitism, Islamophobia, and harassment; and

WHEREAS, union members across the country have faced violent challenges to their free speech while engaged in protected concerted activity and faced employer-sanctioned violence force to curtail peaceful protest, and the right to demand change in their workplaces; and

WHEREAS, acknowledging that Palestinian people are experiencing on-going injustice does not diminish the history and suffering of our Jewish community; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED that the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO urges the National AFL-CIO Executive Council to adopt the following position:

• There must be an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The cycle of violence must stop so that negotiations for an enduring peace proceed, and Palestinians and Israelis can live their lives with basic human rights.
• The basic rights of people must be restored. Water, fuel, food, and other humanitarian aid must be allowed into Gaza by lifting the blockade over the Gaza Strip, power must be restored, and foreign nationals and Palestinians requiring medical care must be allowed out of Gaza.
• Both Hamas and Israel must adhere to standards of international law and Geneva Convention rules of warfare concerning the welfare and security of civilians and release hostages and prisoners on both sides.
• No harassment or retaliation of pro-Palestinian voices on the job, in schools, or by law enforcement and governmental institutions
• Suspend US weapons transfers to Israel
• Reconsider their position against divesting from Israel Bonds; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, supports efforts that promote an immediate lasting, negotiated, bilateral ceasefire; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, rejects acts of bigotry perpetuated upon Arab, Muslim, Christian and Jewish families, students, workers, synagogues, and mosques which have been inflamed by this situation; and be it further

RESOLVED that the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO rejects harassment and violence against workers engaging in protected union activity such as peaceful protest and other forms of free speech, and will take action against employers that attempt to curtail protected concerted activity, discriminate against union members or political viewpoints, and create or allow threats to workers’ health and safety; and be it finally

RESOLVED that the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, shall communicate this resolution to its members, the AFL-CIO Executive Council, and the National AFL-CIO, and actively seek to inform and educate them about the humanitarian impact of the conflict, the importance of respecting international law, and the need for a peaceful and just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO calls for solidarity with fellow Unions and Locals in this regard.