Download .pdf leaflet
Download .pdf leaflet (Baltimore)
Download .pdf leaflet (California)
Download .pdf leaflet (North Carolina)
Solidarity with Palestinians and the Oppressed
October 7 marks one year since Israel’s escalation of attacks on Palestine, allegedly in response to an attack by Hamas. But this date represents only a small chapter in a much longer history. The October 7, 2023 attack on Israelis is being used to justify a brutal intensification of Israel’s more than 75-year occupation, which has always been about more than self-defense.
Israel continues to expand its control over Palestinian territories, displacing communities in an ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing. The U.S. actively supports this by continuing to send military aid, totaling over $12 billion this year. Israel’s military strength is an extension of U.S. imperialism, aimed at increasing control over the region.
Now we are witnessing the expansion of this war into Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, with airstrikes launched in late September 2024. Israel has not only launched a ground invasion in Lebanon, but it has also struck over 50 hospitals and healthcare centers. As a result over one million Lebanese people have been displaced, with over 2,000 killed. With each new attack, the risk of a wider war grows.
And now Iran may be the next target of Israel’s attacks. Last week, Israel and U.S. forces intercepted 200 Iranian missiles after Iran targeted military sites in Israel, citing the attacks on Gaza and Lebanon and the assassinations of key Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Iran), Hamas (Gaza), and Hezbollah (Lebanon) leaders. Although the attack caused no casualties and was reported as “ineffective” by the Israeli military, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Iran “will pay a heavy price.”
As Israel threatens Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, the risk of an all-out regional war increases. The reality is becoming clearer: this isn’t about Israel defending its borders. It is about imperialist expansion, and the U.S. plays a central role in driving this aggression. The U.S. uses Israel as a military base to maintain control over the Middle East, with Israel’s military might acting to crush any resistance to its domination.
The U.S. is not only funding the genocide and larger war, but it is providing weapons, supplies, troops, and is now launching its own airstrikes in Yemen. Oil prices are spiking after Joe Biden implied that there may be an Israeli strike on Iranian oil facilities, with U.S. approval.
Both Democrats and Republicans may offer weak calls for peace, but Washington relies on Israel to secure its interests in the region, ensuring access to oil, control over trade routes, and keeping potential rivals like Iran in check.
We must stand with the Palestinian and Arab people in their resistance against occupation and ethnic cleansing. We reject the idea that this war is about “self-defense.” Instead, we call for an end to Israel’s aggression and the support by the United States.
We must refuse to be complicit in this imperialist war. We cannot allow the U.S. government to use Israel as a weapon of conquest in our name. It is time to unite in opposition, to organize in our workplaces and communities, and to join the global movement that stands with the Palestinian people.
As working people, we share a common enemy with the Palestinians – the system of capitalism that profits from our suffering. The same forces that send bombs to Israel are the ones that slash our wages, privatize our healthcare, and pollute our communities. The fight against U.S.-backed Israeli aggression is part of our fight for justice and dignity at home. We must stand firmly on the side of the oppressed, here and in the Middle East. Our future depends on it.
The Triangle, North Carolina: Helene’s Path of Destruction
Hurricane Helene has left an apocalyptic path in its wake. Western NC has been one of the hardest hit regions. It is the second deadliest storm to hit the U.S., and the costliest with well over $200 billion in damage. Storms like this will continue to increase due to global heating.
In the aftermath of the storm, police guarded grocery stores to prevent people from taking what they need. The National Guard has been slow to deliver water to the thousands who are still without. Individuals, small businesses, and community groups have stepped up to help deliver resources and clean up the damage. There are thousands who are homeless, without power, water, and wellness checks. We need a state that acts to stop global heating and prioritizes human life in the destruction afterwards.
Bay Area, California: Record Bay Area Heat Wave
The ongoing heat wave in the San Francisco Bay Area is a glaring reminder of the accelerating climate crisis. As temperatures soared into the 100s, residents are experiencing record-breaking heat far beyond what October usually brings. Meteorologists say this is not just an anomaly; it reflects the unsettling reality of longer, hotter summers. The Bay Area’s usual coastal cooling has all but vanished, leaving inland and coastal areas alike to bake.
Extreme weather events—record heat in the Bay Area and devastating floods in North Carolina—are not isolated incidents. Despite warnings from scientists and communities on the frontlines, political and corporate leaders continue to block serious climate action. Without significant changes, these deadly weather patterns will only intensify, threatening life from coast to coast and worldwide.
Baltimore, Maryland and Newark, NJ: Union Officials Call Off Dockworkers’ Strike
Dockworkers from Maine to Texas, represented by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), returned to work on October 4, after a three-day strike. The 47,000 strikers, many at the Ports of Baltimore and Newark-Elizabeth, are demanding significant wage increases and protection from job losses due to automation. The union leadership called off the strike until January 15, despite the fact that port operators only partially met the union’s salary demands and have not conceded anything on the issue of automation. Union officials, not the workers, made this important decision.
Dockworkers, whose jobs involve loading and unloading cargo ships, occupy a critical chokepoint in the movement of goods in and out of the U.S. This pivotal role in the economy forced their bosses and the politicians to try to end the strike as quickly as possible.
Even this short strike sent waves of concern through the press, business, and political elites. A Baltimore Sun editorial declared that “this is the wrong time for longshoremen to strike” and blamed the workers for potential harm to U.S. consumers. We must resist corporate propaganda that criticizes workers using their power to try to win what they deserve.
Let’s remember that the real cause of economic crises is the bosses’ unending pursuit of profit. While the companies make record profits year after year, dockworkers work long hours for wages that don’t keep up with inflation and face the threat of their jobs being automated away.
This corporate pursuit of profit hurts the rest of us, too. Disasters like 2023’s Port Newark ship fire and the recent collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore happen when companies prioritize profit over safety. As workers, we can’t let bosses, politicians, and union officials decide what’s good for us and how to fight for ourselves.
