Local 2325 Pushes UAW to Approve Divestment from Israeli Bonds

Contact: Navruz Baum, Recording Secretary, UAW Local 2325 (nbaum@alaa.org, 201-615-4323)

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: LOCAL 2325 PUSHES UAW TO APPROVE DIVESTMENT FROM ISRAELI BONDS

Detroit, Michigan: On June 18th, 2026, in a show of international solidarity with the workers of Palestine, delegates to the United Auto Workers’ 39th Constitutional Convention voted for full divestment from Israeli bonds. The UAW Constitution Article 7, Section 2 shall be amended to include: “No UAW funds shall be invested in Israel bonds.”

This victory was the culmination of efforts both coordinated and spontaneous. UAW Constitutional delegates initially voted against debating a broader proposal, passed by UAW Local 2325, that would have supported workers interrupting the manufacture of weapons for Israel and committed to not endorsing politicians who support weapons for Israel. Later that same day, Local 2325 delegate Olga Karounos called on UAW delegates to consider a resolution limited solely to divestment from Israel bonds. This motion was successful, with 148 of the 128 delegates needed standing in support to pull UAW local 7902’s resolution to the floor. Workers from across the country in auto manufacturing (local 869), science (local 1115), and legal services (local 2320) all submitted similar resolutions, drafted largely by members of Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD), a rank-and-file UAW caucus committed to class struggle unionism.

Leading up to the vote, Local 2325 delegates, members of UAWD, Labor for Palestine, and passionate delegates from across locals organized tirelessly on the floor and in the hallways of the Convention to make divestment a reality. On June 18, after an motion to table the vote, the matter was brought to the floor. After debate, the body voted 321-287 to divest from Israeli bonds, with more than twice as many delegates voting in favor of the resolution as had stood in favor the day before. The message from the convention floor is clear: Workers want a UAW that will continue its legacy of fighting for the working class, international solidarity, and standing up against injustice.

ALAA wishes to highlight the work of those who made this victory possible:

• Local 2021 in Ohio, whose former president, Mike Davis, brought the motion to pull Local 2325’s broader resolution from Committee; 
• Local 7902, whose delegation submitted the resolution that Local 2325 successfully pulled out of Committee, who worked alongside 2325 to whip votes, and who gave the final speech ahead of the vote, calling on all members to stand for Palestinian liberation;
• Local 600 of Dearborn, Michigan, whose members first walked out for divestment in Israeli bonds in 1973, and whose delegation answered the call to fight hard behind closed doors and on the floor to make their workers’ historic demands a reality;
• Michael Letwin, former president of UAW Local 2325 and founding member of Labor for Palestine, who has carried the torch for Palestinian liberation for decades, and in whose footsteps Local 2325 Delegates followed; 
• Sophia Gurulé, former member of Local 2325, whose unwavering moral clarity and tireless fight for the Palestinian people showed that the sacrifices one makes, big or small, can fundamentally improve society;
• Every delegate who stood, spoke, and voted in favor of divestment, even against the wishes of their local, regional, and International leadership. These delegates represented workers across sectors, from legal services to auto manufacturing parts manufacturing and higher education, proving that as a united working class, every fight is winnable; 
• The countless union workers who fought for divestment for decades, from the first attempt at divestment made by Palestinian workers at the 1974 UAW Constitutional Convention, and finally;
• The workers of Palestine, whose bravery and continued struggle for liberation in the face of Israel’s ongoing genocide moves everyone closer to a world of safety, dignity, and peace.

This is not the culmination, but the continuation of the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys’ history of advocacy on behalf of Palestinian liberation, calling in 2022 for full divestment from Israel bonds, and in 2023 for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to Israeli apartheid, which led to a lawsuit and congressional inquiry. Despite these attacks, ALAA has time and again called for divestment and the liberation of the Palestinian people. 

“ALAA has repeatedly made the commitment to not just push for a divestment of our own union from Israel, but also to make the most of our union’s power to stop the sale and shipment of weapons and other military aid to Israel. The International UAW’s new commitment to divestment shows the power of organizing even in the face of long odds.” said Shelly Pires, ALAA UAW Local 2325 Trustee and convention delegate. “ALAA will not stop.”

All power to the workers. All power to the Palestinian people. Solidarity forever.