By Mark Friedman

“On October 30th, for the 32nd consecutive year, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly condemned the U.S. embargo on Cuba. Once again, the global community stood in near-unanimous solidarity with the Cuban people, recognizing that this decades-long policy is not only cruel and dated but also in direct violation of international law.

“Today, Cuba faces an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Widespread power outages, severe food shortages, and an overwhelmed healthcare system have brought daily life to a breaking point. This hardship has been intensified by recent hurricanes and earthquakes, which have only added to the urgency of the crisis, leaving countless Cubans even more vulnerable. Much of this suffering is further compounded by the Trump administration’s last-minute designation of Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism [SSOT].

“We urge you, President Biden, to take the first step in removing Cuba from the SSOT list and to ease the additional sanctions imposed during the previous administration. These measures restrict Cuba’s access to essential financial resources, deepening the island’s economic struggles. Lifting Cuba from the SSOT list and easing these punitive sanctions would be bold, necessary steps toward reversing these harmful policies and rekindling the diplomatic spirit we saw during the Obama years.”

That’s how a letter addressed to U.S. president Joe Biden begins. Dozens of trade unionists from across the United States, and others, have already signed the letter. A number of these unionists organized a nationwide Zoom call on November 17 that launched a campaign to get fellow trade unionists, elected officials, and others to co-sign the letter before it is sent to Biden in early December.

The letter announcing the national Zoom call said, in part:

“We write to you with a sense of urgency to help the people of Cuba and to further discuss how we can help the Cuban people and their trade unions.

“The majority of Americans — like the rest of the world — want an end to this hideous treatment of the Cuban people. We just saw the United Nations, once again, vote 187 to 2 to end the U.S. blockade of Cuba (with US & Israel voting no).

“We must escalate our work with unions to pass resolutions to remove Cuba from the SSOT list. Removing Cuba from the SSOT list only requires the signature of the U.S. President on an executive order. Incoming President Trump’s appointment of Florida senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State means Washington will escalate its attacks on Cuba.

“We have recently scored some big victories with the California Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Inland Boatmen’s Union (ILWU marine division), California Conference of Machinists (IAM), Washington State Labor Council (AFL-CIO) and most recently the international United Auto Workers Union (UAW) all adopting anti-SSOT resolutions. We must use these resolutions and others to expand our work.”

These unions and labor federations represent some 3 million workers.

The letter announcing the Zoom call was signed by leaders and activists from the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), Teamsters/Amazon Labor Union, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, American Federation of Teachers, International Association of Machinists (IAM), UNITE-HERE (garment and restaurant workers union), Sacramento Central Labor Council, Building Relations with Cuban Labor (BRWCL) and others, along with union and Cuba solidarity activists from New York, Chicago, Sacramento, and Los Angeles doing outreach.

Chris Bender, leader of the Building Relations with Cuban Labor and a Zoom meeting organizer, told me, “We want President Biden to hear from as many union members and leaders as we can reach in the next sixty days. We have two months to encourage Biden to keep his promises and reverse the Trump-era anti-Cuban actions. We must do this to support the Cuban people and build solidarity.”

Danny Valdes, a Cuban American activist and unionist, told this reporter, “I’ve organized this campaign because the U.S. blockade on Cuba is a direct attack on human dignity and solidarity. We’re calling on union members to stand with us because we know that labor has the power to challenge injustice. This campaign is a crucial step toward not only lifting the blockade but also strengthening our collective solidarity, which will carry us into a broader movement. As we build momentum, we’re laying the foundation for even greater action in the months ahead. Our goal is clear: to unite workers across borders and create lasting change.”

Twenty-five union leaders and activists participated in the national Zoom call. The online meeting launched several major campaigns:

1. Get immediate signers on the letter to Biden that already includes the United Auto Workers (UAW) and many politicians, initiated by Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) demanding Cuba be removed from the SSOT.
2. Pass union resolutions at new locals in January with Cuba solidarity activists speaking at the meetings.
3. Besides general educational work we will initiate medical and humanitarian aid campaigns with Global Health Partners (GHP), emulating the recent ILWU donation of $10,000 to the GHP Pacemakers for Cuba effort.
4. Organize expanded labor delegations to Cuba for May Day activities with BRWCL and the Los Angeles Hands-off Cuba committee “Labor and Youth Activist delegation” sponsored by the Cuban Confederation of Workers (or CTC, Central de Trabajadores Cubanos).

The meeting also recognized important letters to Biden sent recently by several members of U.S. Congress, organized by Barbara Lee and Jim McGovern, that also called on him to remove Cuba from the SSOT list.

The link to the document to sign the letter to Biden can be found here.

Mark Friedman is a member of International Association of Machinists Local 1484, and activist in the Los Angeles Hands-off Cuba Committee.

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