The Common Ills
Thursday, January 25, 2024. An unarmed man threatening no one is shot dead by Israeli forces and its caught on tape, the Israeli government continues destroying buildings of cultural significance in Gaza, UAW wants both a cease-fire and Joe Biden re-election, and much more.
Geoff Bennett:
The war in Gaza has killed more than 25,000 Palestinians. That's according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Our colleagues at Independent Television News have sent us evidence of one more death, an apparently unarmed man walking with a group of men under a white flag with their hands up. ITN's cameraman in Gaza documented the killing.
The reporter is John Irvine in Israel. And a caution, This story includes images of violence.
John Irvine:
This is the edge of the supposedly safe area called Al-Mawasi that the Israelis have been encouraging Gaza civilians to flee to.
These makeshift homes have been vacated because the war is getting closer. The billowing smoke was evidence of the new Israeli offensive in Khan Yunis that has been forcing more families to evacuate and seek safety elsewhere.
Hazem Ahmad, Displaced Palestinian (through interpreter):
No place safely in Gaza. Everywhere you are going, you will find the Israeli army. They are shoot us at home, any building, in the street, everywhere you are. They will give you a chance sometimes just for five minutes sometimes, do not give you any chance to take your clothes, to take your children, to take your family, and to get out of the building.
This is our life in Gaza. It's very difficult.
John Irvine:
These pictures were filmed by a cameraman working for ITV News in Gaza. As he moved forwards towards the combat zone, he noticed this group of men doing their utmost to appear nonthreatening, trying to proceed with care. They wanted to reach two other family members and get them out of harm's way.
Ramzi Abu Sahloul , Displaced Gazan (through interpreter): I have my mother and brother in there with around 50 or 70 displaced people in another house. The Israelis came to us and told us to evacuate, but they didn't let my brother out. We want to go and try to get them, God willing.
John Irvine:
The interview complete, our cameraman walked away. And then this happened.
(Gunshot)
John Irvine:
The interviewee had been shot and fatally wounded. You can see them place their flag on his chest. As he was carried away, the white flag was turning red.
"Carry him. They have killed him," yells this youth. Then,suddenly, more gunfire.
(Gunshots)
John Irvine:
They scream at a child, telling him to find cover.
By this stage, the man's wife, his widow, has heard what happened. And as she rushes to the scene, she meets the party carrying away the body on a makeshift stretcher. When they're satisfied they're a safe distance away, they stop, and the mourning starts.
Geoff Bennett:
We asked the Israel Defense Forces to respond to the story today.
A spokesman said — quote — "We're not aware of the event, and it's still under examination." An Israeli defense official later told "PBS NewsHour" that an Israeli analysis of the audio found that two weapons fired shots. They say one was an automatic that fired three bullets, and the rate of fire does not correspond to any rifle used by the Israeli military. The official added they are investigating further.
While the IDF statement was unclear about the exact cause of the explosion inside the buildings, the Qassam Brigades said its operatives “targeted” the structure, leading to the “explosion of the [IDF’s] ammunition and engineering equipment,” “completely blowing [it] up.”
Such controlled demolitions have become an increasingly common tactic used by Israeli forces in Gaza. The Israeli military has justified its destruction of civilian housing and other infrastructure by claiming it houses Hamas facilities or leaders or to gain access to subterranean tunnels. In Monday’s incident, however, Hagari said the buildings were marked for demolition because they were situated in an area of Gaza that Israel unilaterally declaredOpens in a new tab a “buffer zone” between Gaza and Israel. He said the purpose was to protect an Israeli kibbutz located a half mile from Gaza against possible future attacks.
This appears to be the first time the Israeli military has publicly admitted that its systematic destruction of whole areasOpens in a new tab of eastern Gaza are not entirely aimed at destroying tunnels or other Hamas infrastructure, but at depopulating more areas of Gaza in the name of security for nearby Israeli settlements. “The IDF systematically demolishes Palestinian buildings that enable surveillance and firing capabilities toward Israel, leading to the destruction of hundreds of buildings to date,” the IDF said in a statementOpens in a new tab.
Controlled demolitions against the property within an occupied territory are generally prohibited under international humanitarian lawOpens in a new tab unless they are “imperatively demanded by the necessities of war.”
But IDF soldiers have posted multiple videosOpens in a new tab on TikTok and other social media sites of themselves gleefully hitting the trigger button sparking massive controlled explosions in Palestinian neighborhoods, as well as educational, cultural, and government institutions. In a TikTok videoOpens in a new tab showing a military bulldozer knocking down houses in Khan Younis, an Israeli soldier jokes that he and his colleagues are setting up a real estate company. “This field is definitely worth investing in,” he says. “For those who have money, this is the time to invest. Make an offer.”
On January 17, Israeli forces blew upOpens in a new tab Al-Isra University, reportedly rigging it with more than 300 mines before conducting a triggering strike that leveled the entire campus. “The explosion occurred 70 days after the Israeli military transformed the school into barracks and, later, into a temporary detention facility,” according to the humanitarian organization Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters he had seen the video of the demolition of the privately owned school, but refused to comment on the legality or justification for the operation.
“It looks like a controlled demolition,” said Associated Press correspondent Matt Lee during the briefingOpens in a new tab. “It looks like what we do here in this country, when we’re taking down an old hotel or a stadium. And you have nothing to say? You have nothing to say about this?”
At the United Nations, Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated his call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Secretary-General António Guterres: “The entire population of Gaza is enduring destruction at a scale and speed without parallel in recent history. Nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”
Guterres went on to criticize statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders opposing a two-state solution.
Secretary-General António Guterres: “Last week’s clear and repeated rejection of the two-state solution at the highest level of the Israeli government is unacceptable. … This refusal and the denial of the right to statehood to the Palestinian people will indefinitely prolong a conflict that has become a major threat to global peace and security.”
Guterres’s comments came as The Wall Street Journal reports a group of five Arab countries have proposed a plan to end the war in Gaza and create a pathway toward a Palestinian state. As part of the deal, Saudi Arabia would also recognize the state of Israel.
Qatar has harshly criticised Israel’s prime minister, accusing Benjamin Netanyahu of deliberately obstructing ceasefire and hostage-release negotiations with Hamas for personal political gain.
Doha’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Majed al-Ansari, said on Wednesday night that his government was “appalled” by leaked remarks allegedly made by Netanyahu in which he criticised the country’s mediation efforts over the war in Gaza, adding that the Israeli leader’s comments were “irresponsible and destructive” but “not surprising”.
“If the reported remarks are found to be true, the Israeli PM would only be obstructing and undermining the mediation process, for reasons that appear to serve his political career instead of prioritising saving innocent lives, including Israeli hostages,” Ansari wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
.@ShawnFainUAW announces the UAW will endorse @JoeBiden for President."This November we can stand up and elect someone who stands with us and supports our cause, or we can elect someone who will divide us and fight us every step of the way. Thats what this choice is about." pic.twitter.com/IYRvuTzd9H— UAW (@UAW) January 24, 2024
"This election is about who will stand with us and who will stand in our way.”— UAW (@UAW) January 24, 2024
.@UAW president explains why union endorsed Biden. Watch his full interview with CNN's @jaketapper here: https://t.co/aAXmkLpQkO pic.twitter.com/FjeDVaeRmo
— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) January 25, 2024
Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, January 24th, with hundreds of UAW members, leaders, and activists gathered at the union’s national Community Action Program (CAP) conference, the UAW announced its endorsement of Joe Biden for President of the United States.
Addressing the assembled members, UAW President Shawn Fain spoke to the issues facing the working class, and the strategic choice ahead in the 2024 presidential election.
“This November, we can stand up and elect someone who wants to stand with us and support our cause. Or we can elect someone who will divide us and fight us every step of the way,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “That’s what this choice is about. The question is, who do we want in that office to give us the best shot of winning? Of organizing. Of negotiating strong contracts. Of uniting the working class and winning our fair share once again, as our union has done so many times in our nation’s history. We need to know who’s going to sit in the most powerful seat in the world and help us win as a united working class.”
“Today I’m proud to announce that UAW is endorsing Joe Biden for President of the United States. And I am honored to invite Joe Biden to come address our great union, and join us in our fight for economic and social justice for the UAW and for the whole working class. UAW family, let’s stand up and welcome the man who stood up for us. Please welcome the current President of the United States, the man we will re-elect, Joe Biden!”
For President Fain’s full remarks as prepared, see below:
To view the full recorded and livestreamed proceedings of the UAW CAP Conference, go to UAW’s YouTube page. Media is encouraged to use these materials in coverage, with credit to UAW.
UAW PRESIDENT SHAWN FAIN'S PREPARED REMARKS
Good afternoon, UAW family,
As we near the end of our CAP Conference, I first want to thank you all.
This has been an inspiring few days of strategy, discussion, and planning for the fights ahead. Let’s give a hand to all of our CAP Reps for everything you do for this union and for this movement.
I want to recognize our fantastic CAP staff who have worked so hard to make this event a success.
I want to recognize our International Executive Board for your leadership and your participation here this week.
And most of all I want to recognize our members across the country, in every sector, who are the ONLY reason we’re here, and who are the TRUE LEADERS of our movement.
When I became the president of this great union, just 10 months ago, I promised that we would do things differently.
I promised that we would return to our roots, pursue economic and social justice, and that we would FIGHT LIKE HELL, not just for UAW members, but for the ENTIRE working class.
That’s exactly what we’ve done, and that’s exactly what we’ll continue to do.
With that said, we know there are many outside of this room who DOUBTED our movement, DOUBTED our strength, and DOUBTED our resolve.
When we went on strike against the Big 3, you’ll remember that many of the talking heads DISMISSED our demands as UNREALISTIC.
They said workers could never win back COLA. BUT WE DID.
They said we couldn’t bring back a plant that was scheduled to close. But we did.
They said, we’d NEVER be able to make EV jobs good jobs, NEVER get it under our master agreements. But we did.
They said there is NO WAY we could end wage tiers. But we did, winning life-changing raises for thousands of members.
They said we couldn’t bargain for our retirees. But we did.
Together, WE MOVED MOUNTAINS.
Not since the sit down strikes of the 1930s has there been a union victory on this scale.
We were underestimated then, and I’m sure we’ll be underestimated NOW by the corporate class and their political allies.
But the people who matter are with us.
75% of the American people stood with us during the strike.
And workers everywhere are standing with us now.
They STAND UP because they know what it’s like to work paycheck to paycheck.
And they STAND UP because we stick to the facts and tell the truth.
During the strike, we shared the FACT that the companies had made a quarter of a trillion dollars in profit in the past decade.
We shared the FACT that the CEOs had given themselves 40% wage increases over four years. And we shared the FACT that workers had fallen further and further behind.
And finally, and perhaps most importantly, the American people stand with us because they understand that our movement is fighting for every last working class American.
That is our guiding light.
EVERYTHING we do as a union must be about taking back our power as the working class.
That’s what being UAW really means.
It means being strategic, clear, and aggressive in our mission to win for workers everywhere.
Working class people are hurting. For decades, we’ve been ignored at best, and trampled on at worst.
But we are the vast majority of society.
We have the NUMBERS, and we have the VOTES.
When we stand UNITED, we put FEAR in the hearts of the billionaire class.
But they keep us weak by dividing us.
It’s an old trick the billionaires play, but it’s effective. Time and time again, the wealthy divide the masses as the rich walk away with the loot!
They try to divide us by gender.
They try to divide us by nationality.
They try to divide us by race.
They act like how you live your life, or where you were born, or what color your skin is, is a threat to the person on the worksite next to you.
They talk about WHO you love, where you’re from, or how you look.
So they don’t have to talk about who you work for, WHERE the profits go, and WHO benefits.
THAT’S what unites us.
And THAT UNITY is where our power comes from.
What we learned in the Stand Up Strike is if we unite on our issues, if we fight like hell, if we focus on things that matter to the American people, WE WIN.
Our Stand Up Strike wasn’t just about one contract.
It was about the fight for a LIVING WAGE.
It was about a SECURE RETIREMENT.
It was about HEALTH CARE.
It was about taking our TIME back and taking our LIVES back.
Wages. Retirement. Health Care. Time.
These are the issues that UNITE the working class.
These are the issues that are life or death for the American people.
We’ve got to start looking to the future and making sure that working people – not just the wealthy – are going to be secure.
Advances in technology shouldn’t lead to plant closings or leave remaining workers working harder than before.
We should be the masters of technology – not let it master us.
Or force us to work even more for less money.
Management – and behind them, the billionaire class – seeks to control our LIVES. They seek to control our TIME. They seek to control our GOVERNMENT. They seek to control our SOCIETY.
You all are here because given the choice between union solidarity and management domination, you have chosen UNION. You have chosen SOLIDARITY.
In 2024, we face a major choice as a society.
I know some people want to ignore this election; they don’t want to have anything to do with politics.
Other people want to argue endlessly about the latest headline or scandal or stupid quote.
Elections aren’t about picking your best friend for the job, or the CANDIDATE who makes you feel good.
Elections are about POWER.
We’ve spent this week talking about our political priorities and where we’re going as a union.
And we’ve shown in our Stand Up Strike that we know how to win against the boss.
But there’s a bigger boss out there. It’s the billionaire class and their backers here in Washington, DC.
That’s what we’re up against.
So, we’re gonna fight like hell for retirement security for the whole working class.
We’re gonna organize and mobilize and make our voices heard.
This November, we can STAND UP and elect someone who wants to stand with us and support our cause.
Or we can elect someone who will divide us and fight us every step of the way.
That’s what this choice is about. The question is, who do we want in that office to give us the best shot of winning?
Of organizing. Of negotiating strong contracts. Of uniting the working class and winning our fair share once again, as our union has done so many times in our nation’s history.
Today, I want to talk about the choice we likely face in the Presidential Election this year.
And I don’t want to talk about who you like, who you don’t like, the latest headline, or the Democrats or Republicans.
I want to talk about the TRACK RECORD.
I want to talk about THE FACTS.
Our Stand Up Strike captured the imagination of this country.
Because we told the TRUTH about corporate greed.
We said what needed to be said.
And we talked about the FACTS that matter to working class people everywhere, in the UAW and beyond.
So, when we talk about this election, let’s take a look at the candidates’ own words and actions.
In 2008, the auto industry faced a historic crisis. We were on the edge of total collapse, with entire communities devastated, hundreds of thousands of autoworkers’ families left out on the street.
It was our members who sacrificed everything to save the auto industry.
[SLIDE 1]: In that moment, Donald Trump said, quote, “I think that the unions are really, really hurting very badly what’s going on with the auto industry.”
[SLIDE 2]: Joe Biden, having helped save the auto industry, said the nation BET on American autoworkers and won.
[SLIDE 3]: In 2015, when he was first running for President, Trump went even further. He said the concessions we took in the bailout weren’t enough.
He wanted to “rotate” the auto industry out of Michigan so union autoworkers would BEG for our jobs back.
He wanted to put the race to the bottom on steroids to SCREW the American autoworker.
[SLIDE 4]: Also in 2015, we won our first election of a group of skilled trades workers at Volkswagen, where we’re still organizing today.
Volkswagen DEFIED the law and REFUSED to bargain. They dragged it out as long as they could, because they knew Trump’s National Labor Relations Board would UNDO our victory. That set us back a decade.
[SLIDE 5]: President Biden, on the other hand, has made changes at the National Labor Relations Board that have opened new opportunities for organizing.
He has vocally supported workers organizing, and said, at a UAW event: “Join, organize, picket, protest. You have a right to form a union, and you cannot be stopped. You cannot be intimidated.”
It matters who runs the National Labor Relations Board, if we are going to grow our union and organize the unorganized.
But it’s not just about organizing. Let’s talk about plant closures.
[SLIDE 6]: In 2019, at the height of profits, GM closed Lordstown Assembly Plant. GM is to blame, but Trump stood by and let it happen. Worse, he joined in the BEATING after telling Lordstown workers “don’t sell your houses.”
Trump attacked brother David Green, who was then the president of Local 1112, and is now serving as our Region 2B Director. He said our union dues were to blame for the plant closure, when we know that was all about CORPORATE GREED.
[SLIDE 7]: In 2023, the Belvidere Assembly plant was slated for closure by Stellantis.
So, we fought like hell to do the unthinkable: Save Belvidere. And with the power of the Stand Up Strike, we did it.
But we also had the President of the United States by our side every step of the way. Instead of talking trash about our union, Joe Biden stood with us and supported us in our historic victory to save Belvidere and save an entire community.
And let’s talk about making history.
Rarely as a union do you get so clear a choice between two candidates.
In 2019, our members held the line at GM on a national strike for 40 days. Trump was the sitting president.
[SLIDE 8 – BLANK]: Here’s a picture of what Trump said and what actions he took to help the American autoworker, striking at GM when he was president.
NOTHING.
[SLIDE 9]: Now here’s a picture of what Trump did to help the American autoworker in 2023 during our historic Stand Up Strike, when he was running for president.
He went to a non-union plant, invited BY THE BOSS, and TRASHED OUR UNION.
[SLIDE 10]: Here’s what Joe Biden did during our Stand Up Strike.
He heard the call and SHOWED UP.
He joined us in solidarity on the picket line, the first time in our nation’s history a sitting president has ever done that.
He said on live national TV, that the Big Three, and I quote, “should go further to ensure RECORD CORPORATE PROFITS mean RECORD CONTRACTS for the UAW.”
[[END SLIDES]]
So that’s the choice we face.
It’s not about who you like.
It’s not about your party.
It’s not about anything but our BEST SHOT AT TAKING BACK POWER for the working class.
Donald Trump is a SCAB.
Donald Trump is a BILLIONAIRE, and that’s who he represents.
If Donald Trump ever worked in an auto plant, he wouldn’t be a UAW member. He’d be a company man, trying to squeeze the American autoworker.
Donald Trump stands AGAINST everything the UAW stands FOR.
When you go back to our core issues – Wages. Retirement. Health Care. Time.
That’s what this election is about.
Who will stand with us?
And who will stand in our way?
Those are the questions that will win or lose this election.
Those are the questions that will determine the future of our country, and the fate of the working class.
When I first came into office, we made some headlines by saying that our endorsements would be EARNED.
We’ve said we’d stand with whoever stood with us in our contract fight.
Not because somebody was nice to us, and we want to be nice to them.
But because we need to know who’s going to PUT UP and who’s going to SHUT UP.
We need to know who’s going to STAND UP with us.
Joe Biden BET on the American worker and Trump BLAMED the American worker.
We need to know who’s going to sit in the most powerful seat in the world, and help us win as a UNITED working class.
So, if our endorsements must be earned, Joe Biden has earned it.
Today I’m proud to announce that UAW is endorsing Joe Biden for President of the United States.
And I am honored to invite Joe Biden to come address our great union, and join us in our fight for economic and social justice for the UAW and for the whole working class.
UAW family, let’s STAND UP and welcome the man who STOOD UP for us. Please welcome the current President of the United States, the man we will re-elect, Joe Biden!
# # #
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Contact Information
The UAW just endorsed President Joe Biden in the 2024 election.Back in December UAW President Shawn Fain told us Donald Trump's track record with working class people is horrible. pic.twitter.com/czH2c6q1Fg— Pod Save America (@PodSaveAmerica) January 24, 2024
A group of those UAW members protested the union’s decision on Wednesday, demanding that the UAW withhold the endorsement until Biden reversed course on Gaza and called for an end to the violence.
Other national unions including the AFL-CIO announced endorsements of the incumbent as early as last summer. It was about this time that Fain met with Biden to ask for his support for auto workers during their contract negotiations and address the union’s concerns regarding the auto industry’s transition to electric vehicles (EVs).
During the UAW’s historic Stand-Up Strike against the Big Three automakers that followed in the fall, Biden said that “record profits [should] mean record contracts” and showed up to the union’s picket line outside a General Motors plant in Belleville, Michigan. In November, the UAW secured historic contracts with General Motors, Ford and Stellantis that resulted in increased wages, an end to the despised system of tiers, and ensured production facilities would have capacity to manufacture EVs.
In announcing the endorsement on Wednesday, Fain emphasized the importance of Biden’s support for labor, stressing that Biden’s appointees to the National Labor Relations Board had been crucial to the labor movement. Meanwhile, Fain mocked Trump as a “scab” who gained a reputation for “attacking unions.”
Just minutes into his acceptance speech, Biden was interrupted by chants of “Ceasefire now” from the floor of the UAW political action conference in Washington D.C. While Biden stood silent and bewildered, the assembled UAW bureaucrats repeatedly shouted “UAW! UAW!” to drown out the protesters.
In his introduction of Biden, Fain predictably did not say a word about the US-backed slaughter of more than 30,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, even though the UAW has adopted a pro forma resolution calling on the president to demand a ceasefire.
Instead, the UAW president employed his standard left-sounding rhetoric to portray Biden—a corporate shill for his entire political career—as a champion of the working class who was ready to battle the “billionaire class and their backers here in Washington D.C.”
During the UAW’s online presentation of the event, there was a steady stream of critical posts by workers denouncing “Genocide Joe,” condemning Biden’s outlawing of the railroad workers’ strike in 2022, and exposing the fraudulent claims by Biden and Fain that the sellout agreements in the auto industry last year were “historic” victories.
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