International Solidarity

When corporate decisions made half a world away can impact jobs and investments with the speed of keystroke, what choice do working people have but to make alliances across national boundaries? When U.S. politicians are beholden to transnational corporations, what choice do U.S. working people have but to make common cause with workers elsewhere in the world?

As globalization draws the world closer together, workers' rights, wages and working conditions are downsized. Global wages are spiraling downward towards the lowest common denominator — countries where workers make as little as a few dollars a day.

Starting from a longstanding commitment to international solidarity, UE believes that more than ever, unions must act and think globally. A real commitment to international labor solidarity means more than just resolutions and meetings. It requires rank-and-file action.

UE has built relationships with labor organizations in a variety of countries. We've made labor history with our pioneering Strategic Organizing Alliance with the Authentic Labor Front, the Frente Autentico del Trabajo (FAT) in Mexico. And, we continue to build new ways to link workers and their unions across borders. Find out about this important work at our UE International Solidarity Website.

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Building Solidarity with Italian Metal Workers

January 23, 2019

UE International Representative and GE Conference Board Secretary John Thompson joined more than 700 delegates from across Italy at the 27th Congress of the Italian Federation of Metal Workers (FIOM), held from December 12–15. Delegates from FIOM attended UE’s 2015 and 2017 conventions, and UE’s relationship with FIOM was instrumental in setting up the global GE Trade Union Network.

UE Offers Solidarity to GM Workers

January 11, 2019

UE General President Peter Knowlton traveled to Windsor today to express UE’s solidarity with thousands of GM workers facing layoffs.

“When any group of workers is ready to fight to keep their jobs and preserve strong communities, they deserve UE support and solidarity,” says Knowlton. “UE has a long tradition of fighting plant closings and doing whatever is necessary to keep our members’ jobs.”

New “US-Mexico-Canada Agreement” Underscores Necessity of International Solidarity

October 5, 2018

Statement of the UE Officers on the "US-Mexico-Canada Agreement"

The text of the proposed new “US-Mexico-Canada Agreement” released late on Sunday night reveals the stranglehold that corporate interests have upon our government, and underscores the absolute necessity of international solidarity among working people from all three countries in order to move forward.

Support Bold Action by Locked-out Workers in Canada

September 26, 2018

This morning, hundreds of members of our Canadian partner union Unifor blockaded D-J Composites in Gander, Newfoundland, where 30 Unifor members have been locked out for 646 days by their Kansas-based employer.

Show your support for these brave workers by calling D-J Composites’ CEO Rezaul Chowdhury at 316-775-1212 and tell him to accept Unifor’s offer to settle the lockout.

You can also keep reading for other ways to show your support.

UE Stands in Solidarity with Locked-out Canadian Workers

September 26, 2018

UE's officers sent the following letter of solidarity today to members of Unifor Local 597, who have been locked out by their Kansas-based employer for 646 days. Today, joined by hundreds of Unifor members from across Canada, member of Local 597 locked out their employer, blockading entrance to the plant. More information on Unifor's website.

26 September 2018

To Our Sisters and Brothers in Unifor Local 597, Gander

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