Among the union workers most militantly putting their money where their mouths are, are longshore workers. The International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) has a long history of cross-border solidarity organizing going at least as far back as 1962 against South Africa’s apartheid regime. The ILWU continued its actions into the 1980s and, unsurprisingly, has supported the call for a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. ILWU members also refused to work on what was believed to be a load of weapons being sent to Israel last November.

“the idea of unions is based on collective power to ensure just outcomes for workers in the face of the financial might of bosses: the powerless versus the powerful, working together to tilt the scales of justice in their favor. While Israel may have successfully hijacked the narrative to cast itself as the victim for decades, that story is unraveling as younger Americans—including union members and leaders—are viewing Palestinians as dispossessed victims of a well-armed apartheid state.”