Members of the United Auto Workers voted Thursday, June 18, to remove hundreds of thousands of dollars in the union’s investments in Israeli bonds because of the country’s war in Gaza.
The vote to divest came at the union’s 39th Constitutional Convention at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit as one of the union’s last orders of business. The measure was passed by a raised-hand vote of the thousand-or-so delegates, amalgamated from UAW locals across the United States.
As early as December 2023, the union had criticized Israel’s prosecution of the war, which started with an attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, signing onto a petition advocating for a ceasefire. At the time, the union also formed a group to study the union’s financial connections to Israel.
“From opposing fascism in WWII to mobilizing against apartheid South Africa and the CONTRA war, the UAW has consistently stood for justice across the globe,” Region 9A Director Brandon Mancilla said in a news release in 2023. “That is why I am proud that the UAW International is today officially calling for a ceasefire in Israel and Palestine.”
The union has often taken public stances on cultural and political issues. According to a 2024 interview with Mancilla, the union divested from South African companies and affiliated markets in 1978 when that nation was under a system of apartheid, or racial segregation.
In the same interview, Mancilla said the union held between $400,000 to $700,000 in Israeli bonds and securities, adding that “the exact number fluctuates based on market conditions.” It is unclear how much the union’s investments in Israeli bonds and securities are worth today.
It is unclear how many delegates voted to pass the resolution, and how much money, exactly, the divestment will affect, but UAW officials confirmed the passage of the measure.
Liam Rappleye covers Stellantis and the UAW for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him: LRappleye@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: UAW convention votes to divest from Israeli bonds
Reporting by Liam Rappleye, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Liam Rappleye, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
