by Martha Grevatt, published on Workers World, June 24, 2026
The United Auto Workers (UAW) has become the largest U.S. union to divest its funds from Israel Bonds. On June 18, delegates to the UAW’s quadrennial Constitutional Convention voted 321-287 in favor of amending the union’s constitution to end current and block future investment in bonds that support the Zionist state. The current investment is reportedly about $400,000.
The vote took place amid a complex process to bring resolutions and amendments submitted by UAW locals to the convention “out of committee.” Convention rules required a threshold of 128 delegate votes for submitted amendments and resolutions to be brought to the floor for debate and a vote. About 900 delegates, elected by their locals, attended the 2026 convention, which took place in Detroit.
Delegates who belong to Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD) initially motioned to bring a stronger amendment against genocide and imperialist war — which five locals had submitted — to the floor. Although enough delegates supported bringing the stronger amendment out of committee, it was voted down. Then an amendment limited to the divestment issue was brought to the convention for a vote. This amendment passed!
UAWD, a rank-and-file-led caucus organized around “class struggle unionism,” had only a handful of members elected as delegates to the convention. But the vote demonstrated that there is strong sentiment within the UAW membership to divest from Israeli genocide. For example, all 40 delegates from Local 600, which represents a large number of workplaces including the Ford Rouge complex, voted in favor of divestment. Strong support came from union members in legal services and higher education, as well as UAW Labor for Palestine.
The divestment amendment did, in the end, win the support of UAW President Shawn Fain and other members of the union’s International Executive Board (IEB).
This historic vote was the culmination of over five decades of struggle to end the union’s support for Israeli apartheid. In the early 1970s, the UAW Arab Workers Caucus picketed and even held a wildcat strike to pressure the union to divest from Israel Bonds. While the UAW put out statements in 2023 and 2024 calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to U.S. arms shipments to Israel, the IEB voted down a motion to disallow future investment in Israel Bonds.
UAWD explains: “The stronger version of the UAWD amendment would’ve enabled weapons workers in the U.S. to take action to shut down the flow of weapons to Israel by giving them job and pay protections while striking or if they face retaliation. UAW’s divestment shows the potential for greater militancy and labor solidarity action within U.S. unions, coming as the working class around the world has mobilized to fight genocide.” (dailystruggle.org, June 18)
It is imperative that all unions follow the UAW’s example and break all financial ties with Israel. But this is only a first step — U.S. unions must honor the Palestinian workers’ picket line and refuse to manufacture and ship weapons used to commit genocide.
Martha Grevatt is a retired member of UAW Local 869 — one of five unions that sent the UAWD amendment against genocide and imperialist war to the UAW Constitutional Convention — and belongs to UAWD.