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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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

UE, Unifor Continue to Build Solidarity at Canadian Council Meeting

August 23, 2018

A delegation of UE officers, leaders and staff joined UE’s Canadian partner union Unifor for their Canadian Council meeting from August 17-19 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. “They were very welcoming and continued to display the kinds of progressive political and trade-union principles that are fully in sync with the UE,” said UE Director of Organization Gene Elk.

UE Demands Enforceable Labor Standards in NAFTA

August 21, 2018

UE sent a letter to US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on August 17, demanding strong labor standards that can actually be enforced in any renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement. UE signed the letter, together with more than 30 other organizations, based on our experience filing complaints through the inadequate system available under the current trade deal.

UE International Director Joins 5000 at International Peace Meeting

August 21, 2018

UE's Director of International Strategies Kari Thompson traveled to Hiroshima, Japan in early August to bring UE's commitment to peace, denuclearization, and a reduction in military spending to the 2018 World Conference Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs. Longtime UE ally Zenroren, a Japanese trade union confederation representing over 1.2 million workers, hosted Thompson.

Taiwanese Workers Win Back Pay from GE

August 21, 2018

Earlier this summer, UE participated in a “friends of the court” brief in solidarity with Taiwanese workers seeking compensation for being exposed to toxic chemicals at work. On August 16, the Supreme Court of Taiwan ruled that 262 workers at an RCA plant are owed compensation by the company. RCA’s assets are now owned, in part, by General Electric. The total amount of compensation for these workers is about $18 million.

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