Thank you to all the Rank & File members and Member-Leaders who reached out about PAT’s position on the conflict in the Middle East between the Israeli State and Hamas that has devastated and harmed millions of Israeli and Palestinian people. Here is a timeline and more information about how PAT has responded to this conflict as a union.

Two member leaders brought a letter to the Executive Board on October 22nd, 2023 in response to PPS’ statement that failed to mention the impact on Palestinian people, especially our students and community members, by name. As an Executive Board, we voted to have a workgroup edit the letter, and then had an email vote, resulting in signing on to the letter. The most consistent concern raised was that our largest democratic body, The Representative Assembly (RA), should be the ones making the decision about this particular letter.

We then learned Oakland EA had similar concerns around releasing a statement through the Executive Board vs bringing it to the RA. After learning that the Oregon Education Association (OEA) Board signed on to the US Labor against Racism and War Call for a Ceasefire, Angela and Jacque brought the question back to the PAT Executive Board on November 6th, 2023. We asked the board to consider tabling the previously written letter, and instead sign on to this statement that OEA and many other unions signed on to. Our board voted to table the member letter to discuss and later bring to the RA, and voted unanimously in favor of signing on to this statement written by US Labor against Racism and War.

We then read the statement aloud to our PAT reps at the November 15th RA and distributed paper copies for reps to bring back to their picket lines to share with their school teams. 

As the letter states, “The road to justice cannot be paved by bombs and war. The road to peace cannot be found through warfare. We commit ourselves to work in solidarity with the Palestinian and Israeli peoples to achieve peace and justice.

Union members come from diverse backgrounds, including Jews, Muslims, and Middle Eastern communities. The rising escalation of war and arms sales doesn't serve the interests of workers anywhere. In the end, we all want a place to call home and for our children to be safe. Working people around the world want and deserve to live free from the effects of violence, war and militarization.

Thousands of Americans have joined the groundswell of global solidarity demanding a ceasefire now.

It's the labor movement's turn to make our voices heard and demand a ceasefire. Together, we can stand for peace, justice, and a better future for working people everywhere.”

You can also find more resources about the history and context of this war from the organization Jewish Voice for Peace Resources page.