Where was the UAW? The Senate Vote on the D9 Bulldozers to Israel

Like many people in the U.S. Left, I closely watched the U.S. Senate vote to block the transfer of 1,000 pound bombs and military equipment to Israel last Wednesday. Spearheaded by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders the joint resolution “provid[ed] for congressional disapproval of the proposed foreign military sale to the government of Israel of certain defense articles and services.” The vote was split into two parts: the first focused on the D9 military bulldozers and the second on 1,000 pound bombs.

Though the resolution on the D9 bulldozers failed by a vote of 59 to 40, it was notable the large number of Democratic Senators that voted for it, nearly 80% of them. Yet, the crucial seven votes that killed it also came from the Democratic side of the aisle. Time magazine reported:

The seven Democrat Senators who voted against the measure were Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Chris Coons of Delaware, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.

I was especially keen to see the vote and hear the debate on the D9 armored bulldozers manufactured by Caterpillar in East Peoria, Illinois and represented by the UAW. According to the Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), the sales of D9 armored bulldozers is worth $295 million. The D9 bulldozers have a deadly and notorious history. As the ADC makes clear:

Caterpillar D9 armored bulldozers, machinery long used by Israel for home demolitions and forced displacement. These weapons and machines destroy the very foundations of life by destroying homes and shelter, uprooting communities, blocking return, and deepening permanent dispossession.

The D9s gained some notoriety in the United States two decades ago when American Palestine solidarity activist Rachel Corrie was murdered by a D9 bulldozer in 2003 in Rafah attempting to prevent the demolition of Palestinian homes. Corrie was also our union sister, a rank-and-file member of SEIU 1199 North West. Her mother Cindy made a heartfelt plea to the Senate on the eve of the Sanders’ resolution in the Nation:

No policy can bring back those taken from us by these actions—children and other loved ones. But the Senate now has an opportunity to honor the memories of our daughter, other Americans, and thousands of Palestinian civilians killed, and to show that their deaths, and all the destruction, will no longer be condoned and funded. We hope those elected to represent us, the American people, understand the message that voting to block these D-9 bulldozers will send. This will not be a symbolic gesture, but a concrete step toward the protection of human life.

Watching the debate, I thought the Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen made a very moving tribute to Rachel Corrie, that unfortunately had no impact on the seven renegade Democrats, who voted against 80% of their caucus.

Yet, I couldn’t help but wonder, “Where was the UAW?” during the debate. In December 2023, the United Auto Workers (UAW) made national news by calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Shawn Fain, the recently elected president of the UAW, appeared to usher in a new era of labor militancy and a new direction in foreign policy. On the steps of the capitol building, Fain proclaimed:

We cannot bomb our way to peace.

While we call for a cease-fire, we also condemn anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism. All of these are growing in our nation at this moment and must be stopped.

We know unions are the best bridge toward fighting all forms of hatred and phobias: racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, Islamophobia and more. As union members, we know we must fight for all workers and people suffering around the world.

Fain and the UAW, along with the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) American Postal Workers Union (APWU) International Union of Painters (IUPAT) National Education Association (NEA) Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and the United Electrical Workers (UE), called on the Biden administration to “halt all military aid to Israel as part of the work to secure an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the war in Gaza.”

Yet, the UAW was invisible around the debate about D9s and transferring 1,000 pound bombs to Israel. No members were educated, no pickets or press conferences called. No threats to withhold support or campaign contribution to wavering Senators. The UAW’s invisibility could partly be explained by past pressure from the federal monitor overseeing the union as part of the anti-corruption consent decree. However, the UAW’s support for a ceasefire was always shallow and didn’t commit them to doing much, if anything, it appears that their short flirtation with a new labor foreign policy is over.

Progress, but how far?

The second vote on the transfer of 1,000 bombs was more lopsided but still significant. Time reported, “The measure to block the sale of 12,000 1,000-pound bombs to Israel, drew 36 votes in favor and 63 against.” The size of the votes to block transfers to Israel do demonstrate how unpopular the apartheid state of Israel has become among Democratic voters along with widespread sympathy for Palestine.

However, we should not read more into the motivations of the large number of Democratic Senators for Sanders’ resolution than what’s really there. Look at Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, who told the Senate chamber:

First, let me say that I cannot and will never abandon Israel. Israel is one of our closest partners. They have a right to defend themselves, and I will always support Israel’s right to exist as a successful and prosperous nation.

Israel must maintain the capabilities and means to protect its people. I’m confident they can today and will be able to into the future with our partnership and I will always support that. We have to work together towards a future where the Jewish state of Israel is secure and where there is durable peace in the region.

As someone who has been politically active for over four decades, I recognize the significance of the vote. Sanders posted on Bluesky: “We are making progress. When we started this effort there were just 11 votes. Now, there are 40.” But, how this will ultimately impact the direction of U.S. foreign policy towards Israel and Palestine is another question. The political establishment has shown itself to be unshakeable in its support for Israel. We have to do better.

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