In the morning of Nov. 12, a new group, Engineers Against Apartheid, held banners and signs and gave speeches outside the United Auto Workers headquarters in downtown Detroit. The main banner read: “Unchain the UAW! Divest from Israel now!”  These automotive engineers have joined groups such as U

These automotive engineers have joined groups such as UAW Labor for Palestine and United All Workers for Democracy in calling on the UAW International Executive Board (IEB) to vote to divest all union funds from Israel Bonds. The union’s current investments in bonds that fund the Zionist war machine have an estimated value of $400,000.

Many of the engineers are part of Detroit’s sizable Arab and Muslim communities. They are not unionized and would be more likely to organize with the UAW if it divested from Israel. Their action was timed to coincide with the meeting of the IEB, which took place from Nov. 12-14. Engineers Against Apartheid held another demonstration on Nov. 14, the last day of the IEB meeting.

UAW Labor for Palestine, a rank-and-file group with hundreds of members, has been pushing the IEB to act in solidarity with Palestine for over a year. It has taken the lead from the over 30 Palestinian trade unions and professional associations that issued a united call in October 2023 to end all complicity with and stop arming Israel.