|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
Israeli Histadrut Union
Ignores $2 Billion Ripoff A new report reveals that the Israeli union federation the Histadrut ignored a huge theft of Palestinian worker
wages and even dipped its own beak into the pickings. To
read about it click here. New Haven Central Labor Council Calls for Sell-Off of Bonds At its November ’09 meeting the
Greater New Haven, CT Central Labor Council voted unanimously to call on the
state AFL-CIO to sell off its $60,000 in Israel Bonds and to invest the money
in the U.S. to benefit U.S. workers.
Three arguments seemed to make the greatest impact 1) the AFL-CIO
doesn’t invest money in the bonds of any other country, 2) Palestinian
workers and unions are getting an especially raw deal, and 3) Islamic
Extremists like Bin Laden exploit the Palestinian issue to gain recruits and
Americans pay the price |
|
|
|
|
American Federation of
Teachers has $300,000 in Israel Bonds On
December 8, Antonia Cortese, Secretary-Treasurer of
the American Federation of Teachers wrote back in answer to a letter from AFT
member Stanley Heller noting that the AFT has two bonds of $150,000 each invested in the State of Israel Bonds. In response to arguments that the AFT
shouldn’t be helping a government that is so vile in its human rights record
she wrote, “The delegates to the AFT convention have consistently passed
resolutions is support of the State of Israel”. See the letter by clicking here. Now the
only good news about this is that the information was answered promptly and
straightforwardly. Perhaps it has to
be answered by law. That means that
every unionist concerned about this issue should write to their national,
state and local unions and ask how much of the bonds of affliction their
union owns. For a sample letter click here. Union Rank and File
Send Letter to Trumka Shocked
and upset by national AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka’s
statement at a Jewish Labor Committee convention that he would oppose
sanctions against Israel, union members sent him an open letter. To read
it and see who signed click here |
|
|
|
An Opening in Connecticut
In early September over 60 trade
unionists and others sent a letter to the Connecticut AFL-CIO urging the
trade federation immediately sell of its $60,000 in bonds. We leafleted the
convention that it held later that month and Stanley Heller, a teacher
unionist, spoke to the convention and asked the President John Olsen why the
federation owned the bonds. Olsen said that the federation's Executive Board
would consult with Washington officials and vote on the issue later in the
year. |
|
|
|
How Big is the
Problem? See this
article from a few years ago about all the unions owning Israel Bonds. |
|
|
|
Shameful U.S. Union Leaders Who Stood Against
Palestinian Rights “Unions
Organize Against British Boycott” See the names of the U.S. union leaders. Click
here and scroll to center of page And in October 2009 Richard Trumpka, onetime militant mineworker leader, and new
President of the AFL-CIO pledged before the Jewish Labor Committee to fight
any boycotts of Israel. See parts of his speech here. Trumpka claimed that “in America, we sometimes think
that anti-Semitism is part of the past, but the truth is that it’s like a
weed that can always grow back. And that’s especially true during hard times.
You know, sometimes it’s couched as `anti-Zionism.’ Other times there’s no
effort to disguise it at all.” This Jewish Labor Committee is a
total apologist for Israel. It’s head is
Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union Not only does the JLC never complain about
abuses to Palestinian workers it doesn’t even report on struggles of the
Israeli Histadrut union. |
|
