CWA for Palestine — Statement on the 2025 CWA Convention
September 9, 2025
The escalating genocide of the Palestinian people at the hands of Israel, carried out in close partnership with the United States, demands a response from workers everywhere. CWA for Palestine seeks to turn promises of solidarity into action by transforming the Communications Workers of America into an ally in the fight for the liberation of Palestine—and into a force capable of meeting this moment in history. We are a coalition of rank-and-file workers across sectors, including tech, journalism, health care, higher education, and telecommunications. Over the past several months, we’ve organized our union siblings who feel that our union can and should take real steps to pressure the war machine and to end CWA’s complicity in genocide and occupation.
CWA for Palestine submitted two resolutions for debate at CWA’s biennial convention in August. The first resolution called for CWA to back an end to the U.S. arms transfers and military aid that have enabled Israel’s assault on Palestine and the wider region. The second resolution added steps to ensure that CWA would financially and institutionally divest from Israel and its racist labor federation, the Histadrut. These resolutions were informed by the demands of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions-Gaza (PGFTU-Gaza) and dialogue with the Palestinian Postal Services Workers Union–Communication Workers Union-Palestine (PPSWU).
Two days before the convention kicked off in Pittsburgh, we were notified by the CWA resolutions committee that the two Palestine solidarity–focused proposals would not be brought to the floor for debate. Instead, union leadership brought forward a woefully inadequate “International Solidarity” resolution, which included lukewarm language acknowledging “Israel’s war on Gaza.” Left with no other option, CWA for Palestine made an effort to amend that resolution on the floor, primarily to remove language falsely equating Israel’s genocide with Palestinian resistance on October 7th, to add the word “genocide” to describe Israel’s assault, and to include a demand for an arms embargo against Israel. However, that amendment was voted down, and the resolution ultimately passed unchanged.
In a moment when even those in the heart of empire are waking up to the horrors of Zionism, the language of CWA’s “International Solidarity” resolution echoes attempts by the Democratic Party, European states, and other imperialist bodies to maintain legitimacy—without actually disrupting the status quo. But we refuse to be placated. Despite the disappointing result at convention, we left Pittsburgh invigorated and all the more determined to ensure our union stands with Palestine, materially and without compromise. We shared the words of the martyr Anas Al-Sharif on the floor, had dozens of productive conversations with our union siblings, and gained a deeper understanding of CWA’s power structure. We saw something new inside that convention hall, and we intend to harness it.
There’s much more work to be done, and together, we’ll work to reject cynical attempts to pit workers against each other. After all, we recognize that the organizing required to ensure CWA stands with Palestine will strengthen our union in every arena—and we believe the rank and file will see this too. The hundreds of CWA members we’re in touch with already understand this.
As fascism escalates at home and abroad, as union busting accelerates and our jobs are contracted out, and as our communities face increasing attacks, the status quo of our unions simply cannot hold. Our fates, as always, are intertwined with Palestine, and our only choice is to build a CWA that can truly fight. That’s our duty to Palestine and to our shared future, and this is only the beginning.
Resolution for an Immediate Arms Embargo in Solidarity With Palestinian Trade Unions
Communication Workers of America—Resolution to Uphold the Palestinian Trade Union Picket Line