June 13, 2024

Elected MTEA building leaders unanimously passed the following Resolution on Ceasefire in Gaza and Occupied Palestine at today’s monthly representative assembly. Thanks to all who worked on the committee and spoke at tonight’s meeting!

Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association RESOLUTION ON CEASEFIRE IN GAZA AND OCCUPIED PALESTINE

WHEREAS, as people of conscience we mourn the loss of life everywhere, regardless of nationality;

WHEREAS, as union members we recognize that every human being deserves to live a life of peace and dignity, regardless of where they live and where they work;

WHEREAS, U.S. organized labor plays an important role in the movement for peace and justice at home and around the world;

WHEREAS, the Gaza Strip and occupied Palestine are home to millions of displaced people, half of whom are under 18 years old;

WHEREAS, the ongoing collective punishment of these civilians – by means of constant bombing, the shutting off of water and electricity, and the denial of food and medical aid – constitutes a war crime under the Geneva Convention and is a genocide (as defined under international law)

WHEREAS, as American taxpayers, we provide nearly $4 billion a year in military aid to the state of Israel, which is carrying out these war crimes against the civilians of the Gaza Strip and occupied Palestine; this money can and should be spent on public education, public housing, public healthcare and other public goods, not war and occupation;

WHEREAS, the current Israeli military operation in Gaza has killed over 13,000 children2 and destroyed at least 80% of schools, an act which amounts to scholasticide.

WHEREAS, students all over the United States – of all grade levels – have taken strong stands to demand Palestinian Liberation, having been met with repression and dismissal, specifically on May 15, 2024 at Milwaukee Public Schools’ Hamilton High School;

WHEREAS, we believe it is imperative that U.S. policymakers take measures to immediately de-escalate the violence to prevent the further loss of civilian life;

WHEREAS, supporting the rights and safety of all people, especially the Palestinian people, is not anti-Semitic;

AND WHEREAS, a growing number of international and local unions are demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and all of occupied Palestine;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by adoption of this resolution by the Executive Board and Representative Assembly, that the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association:

● Declares its public support for a ceasefire of all sides in the current Gaza War and all of Palestine, and

● Stands in solidarity with the workers of Gaza and all of Palestine, many of whom have been out of work

for the entire duration of the conflict and are demanding compensation from the Israeli government,

and

● Calls for a long-term resolution to the conflict in Palestine that honors the human rights of the Palestinian people through the creation of a state (or states) where every resident – regardless of religious identity, ethnic background, or displacement status – is afforded full citizenship, equal rights, and the right of return to communities where they were historically expelled, and

● Calls on Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation – including US Representatives Gwen Moore and Mark Pocan – to support legislation that immediately restores funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and all United Nations relief agencies active in the occupied territories of Palestine and to introduce and/or support resolutions calling for an immediate cessation of aggression by Israel in Gaza, and urges members of Wisconsin’s Congressional Delegation to meet with MTEA members/leaders as soon as possible to discuss this issue, and

● Commits to conducting at least two educational sessions with its members over the summer of 2024 and at least three sessions in the 2024-2025 school year, and potentially more beyond that timeframe, which will be opportunities for the MTEA to partner with organizations that can provide relevant facts and context to its members on the situation in Palestine, events where Jewish and Palestinian voices can be heard, and

● Works with its members to help educate the students and families of Milwaukee Public Schools on this issue, and

● Considers joining the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine, and joins 1) after an organizational vetting process to ensure the MTEA sits in coalition with organizations that support public schools, and

2) after the MTEA Executive Board affirmatively approves of joining the coalition, then after joining appoints at least one member representative to the coalition to serve as a liaison between the MTEA and the coalition for the purposes of engaging our members in education and actions, and

● Calls on the administration of Milwaukee Public Schools and the Milwaukee Board of School Directors,

through an open letter, to support and foster student organizing on this and other issues, and cease punitive action and statements against students who have protested for Palestinian liberation, and

● Supports the National Education Association actions that call for a ceasefire, and supports the National

Education Association actions that call for a ceasefire, release of Jewish hostages, and a denunciation of antisemitism and islamophobia.

● Announces its support for a ceasefire and an end to the genocide (as defined by the Geneva Convention) of Palestinians in a press release, email to its members and supporters, and social media posts, with further public activity to support the movement, and

● Makes a contribution to Education International of $500.

Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association