Retired UE Washington Representative Chris Townsend joined representatives of National Nurses United (NNU), Global Health Partners, Code Pink, and four pro-worker members of Congress on June 30 to denounce the U.S. blockade of Cuba. Despite the 100-degree heat wave, about 100 people attended the action in front of Congress.

Townsend, who serves on the Executive Committee of the International Workers Institute (IWI), an education initiative of the World Federation of Trade Unions, spoke about the worldwide trade union resistance to the U.S. war on Cuba. The event was sponsored by NNU, the largest union of registered nurses in the U.S.

UE Policy, adopted by rank-and-file delegates to the 79th UE Convention in August 2025, states [1] that “Cuba poses no economic or military threat to the U.S. Our government has no justification for the economic blockade of Cuba, which, as members of UE Local 150 who visited the island this past year learned first-hand, makes it more difficult for Cubans to access medicine, food, and essential life-giving supplies.” In March, delegates to UE’s Eastern Region council meeting unanimously reaffirmed this policy, denounced military threats against Cuba, and encouraged members to sign the “Let Cuba Live” petition [2].