NCEJN works in coalition with UE 150 and other organizations to advocate for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Below, you will find a letter written by UE150 in response to President Biden’s visit to Raleigh last week (January 18th).
UE150 Press contact: Nichel Dunlap-Thompson, Recording Secretary for NC Public Service Workers Union, UE Local 150 at 704-890-7631
The North Carolina Public Service Workers Union, UE Local 150 expresses our concern with the visit of President Joe Biden to our state today. While we recognize the investments in core infrastructure and jobs, many of which will be in our great state, these jobs are largely low wage, non-union jobs. Government incentives for companies like Toyota, Siemens, Vinfast, Amgen, Wolfspeed and Boom Supersonic offer huge promises. Unfortunately, too many of these similar promises have broken in the past. We are concerned these investments will merely result in further corporate profits, not improvement of working peoples’ lives.
This week, members of our union in communities across the state marched to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s stand for workers’ union rights, family-supporting wages and against unjust wars. Dr. King supported workers’ struggles for our rights and unions like sanitation workers in Memphis, TN in 1968 and hospital workers in Charleston, SC in 1967. Yet, today, public workers in N.C. are still denied the fundamental human right to collectively bargain. Additionally, North Carolina is set to eliminate its corporate taxes, eliminating billions in funding for critical state public services. At the same time, our state has refused to raise the minimum wage above $7.25 per hour.
Meanwhile, President Biden promises to be the most pro-union president in history. But what does that mean for working North Carolinians? We challenge Biden to speak up in favor of raising wages and in favor of collective bargaining for public sector workers.
North Carolina workers alone send over $91 million every year to fund Israel’s military, which is currently bombarding the people of Gaza, resulting in the deaths of over 23,000 people since October 7, a majority being women and children.
UE150 stands firmly against the Biden administration’s diplomatic and financial support for Israel’s continued genocide and war crimes in Gaza. We call on the administration to publicly demand an immediate ceasefire and suspend all financial aid and arms transfers to Israel. Currently, Biden is proposing an additional $105 Billion to Israel and Ukraine, on top of the already incredibly over-bloated military budget. This money should instead be redirected for important needs of workers like healthcare, education, and high wage, union jobs.
“‘Bidenomics’ is sending huge subsidies to corporations to create low wage, non-union jobs while also prioritizing money for war, including $105 Billion in additional funding to war contractors to make weapons for Israel and Ukraine. We need money for workers’ needs, not war and corporate profits.” stated Sekia Royall, President of UE150, NC Public Service Workers Union. Royall works as a Cook at O’Berry Neuro-medical Treatment Center in the State Department of Health and Human Services in Goldsboro, NC.
Addressing President Biden, Dominic Harris, the President of the Charlotte City Workers Union chapter of UE Local 150 and Water department Crew leader stated “You ran on restoring the soul of this nation. Funding and participating in a slaughter of innocent civilians condemns the soul of this nation. Stop funding Israel and instead prioritize improving the economic conditions of the working class, young, and poor. That’s the only way you’ll win the support needed to get back in the White House.”
We call on President Joe Biden to join us by publicly speaking out in support of:
- Raising the minimum wage to $25 per hour for city workers, service workers and all workers,
- Ending the ban on public sector collective bargaining rights, and
- Stopping US money to Israel’s military and a permanent Ceasefire Now!
For more information the press may contact Nichel Dunlap-Thompson, Recording Secretary for NC Public Service Workers Union, UE Local 150 at 704-890-7631.
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The North Carolina Public Service Workers Union, UE Local 150 represents over 5,400 state mental health, university and municipal workers across 16 counties. Learn more at http://ue150.org
