In this podcast we discuss the just released book, “No Neutrals There,” in which labor historian Dr. Jeff Schuhrke outlines the US labor movement's century-long, official alliance with Zionism and Israel, arguing that this stance was driven both by early ideological sympathy for Labor Zionism and, more significantly, by the labor bureaucracy's strategic alignment with US imperial aims during the Cold War and the "War on Terror." He reveals a history of top-down suppression of internal dissent, where national leaders routinely quashed rank-and-file efforts to support Palestinian rights and the BDS movement.
However, Dr. Schuhrke also highlights a persistent tradition of grassroots solidarity, a movement galvanized by the ongoing genocide in Gaza, which has created significant cracks in the official position and serves as a critical litmus test for a labor movement at a crossroads, forcing it to choose between entrenched power and principled internationalism.
This book, “No Neutrals There,” was released three weeks ago, and we were honored to be one of his first interviews. Other publications to feature his work which focus on the intersections of labor, foreign policy, and political organizing, with a particular emphasis on current events and historical trajectories within the US labor movement include Democracy Now!, Jacobin, In These Times, Common Dreams, Jewish Currents, and Workday Magazine.
Dr. Jeff Schuhrke is a labor historian, journalist, union activist, and assistant professor at the Harry Van Arsdale Jr. School of Labor Studies, SUNY Empire State University in New York City. He has a Ph.D. in History from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Master's in Labor Studies from UMass Amherst.
Get the Book: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2608-no-neutrals-there
Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/
Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/about
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