Union Organizing Across National Divides: Palestinians and Jewish Israelis in the Jerusalem Bus Drivers’ Union

Two leaders from a progressive Israeli labor union that organizes Jewish and Palestinian workers in joint unions will visit the University of Oregon for a four-day visit.

The union, "Power of the Workers," will send one Jewish and one Palestinian organizer from their union, who will talk about all of the aspects of organizing unions across those lines.

They will focus in particular on their experience organizing public transportation bus drivers in the Jerusalem area, where occasional anti-Palestinian threats or violence have been met by a series of one-day strikes in which Jewish and Palestinian drivers all stuck together. This isn't a simple kumbaya story, but it's impressive and instructive, and a little bit hopeful in a place where it's hard to find hope.

The speakers will be of interest to a wide range of students — both those interested in labor/economic justice, those interested in Isreal/Palestine, and those interested in organizing across national/ethical/racial lines more broadly.

This event is part of International Education Month (IEM) programming. View the full calendar of IEM events here: https://international.uoregon.edu/IEM.