Largest Health Workers Union in United States Calls for Ceasefire

SEIU 1199 members rally in 2015

By Global News Service

The largest health workers’ union in the United States, Service Employees International Union Local 1199, just joined the global movement for a ceasefire in Palestine. Representing over 450,000 working and retired health care industry workers, SEIU 1199 is now the second-largest union in the U.S. to call for a ceasefire, behind the United Auto Workers.

“We reject the notion that Israel’s attacks on hospitals filled with patients, apartment blocks filled with families, and the deaths of 11,000+ Palestinian women and children are acceptable collateral damage,” reads 1199’s statement. “We urge an immediate ceasefire.”

With this statement, the local builds on an anti-war legacy. 1199 was the first union to call for an end to the U.S. war in Vietnam.

1199’s statement reflects a broader willingness within the labor movement to join the global call for a ceasefire, initiated by Palestinians living under occupation.

from the Peoples Dispatch / Globetrotter News Service