April 30, 2026

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees District Council 47 (AFSCME DC 47) — a Black-led union that represents workers and retirees in the nonprofit, higher education, cultural / arts and government sectors in the greater Philadelphia, area —  issued the following resolution “Against the War in Iran” on April 29:

Whereas on Saturday, Feb. 28, President Trump oversaw military strikes in Iran alongside the state of Israel, which most prominently hit a girls’ school, killing at least 175 people, mostly children; and

Whereas both the U.S. and Israel have carried out attacks on civilians in the weeks since, resulting in over a thousand Iranians killed, tens of thousands injured and ten million residents of Tehran subjected to chemical fallout from a U.S. strike on an oil refinery; and

Whereas this war of aggression violates domestic and international law, specifically the separation clause outlined in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, the principle of [United Nations] U.N. Charter Article 2 Section 4, and the judgment of the International Military Tribunal of the Nuremberg Trials; and

Whereas the horrific bombing of Iran comes alongside continued U.S. war on Venezuela, siege against Cuba, U.S.-backed attacks in Palestine and Lebanon and devastating ICE attacks on our communities across the country; and

Whereas it is the same drive for profit and power by the billionaire class that fuels war, [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] ICE kidnappings and killings and our exploitation at work and in our lives; and

Whereas wars waged by politicians influenced by billionaire interests remain deeply unpopular among voters despite decades of Islamophobia, xenophobia and racism mainstreamed through U.S. media and civil society; and

Whereas workers in the U.S. overwhelmingly demand their government focus on meeting society’s basic needs, including programs that our members run at health centers, universities and in the public sector, rather than spending trillions to wage war on workers here and abroad; and

Whereas workers all over the globe are struggling under undemocratic systems led by elites more concerned with maintaining power than building just, ethical and life-sustaining systems that allow all people to thrive; and

Whereas AFSCME’s International Constitution, Article II Objective G, calls on us “to work with workers in other lands towards the improvement of the conditions of life and work in all countries, towards the diminution of international tensions and a reduction in the use of armed force to resolve disputes and towards genuine fraternity of all workers.”

Therefore be it resolved that our union believes all workers and their families deserve to live in dignity and peace without the fear of attack in their schools, homes and workplaces; and

Be it further resolved that our union denounces and calls for an immediate end to all U.S. and U.S.-supported military and economic intervention in Iran, Venezuela, Cuba and beyond and an end to the economic sanctions and blockades; and

Be it further resolved that our union calls for the reinvestment of funds currently committed to war into civil society for the improvement of health, education and other social goods; and

Be it further resolved that our union will continue to build alliances to protect and uplift workers at home and abroad against domestic and international militarism, participating in collective action when and where possible and appropriate, lifting up international solidarity in these spaces, such as Workers Over Billionaires and No Kings; and

Be it further resolved that our union leadership will call on locally and federally elected leaders to reject U.S. aggression in Iran and around the world and will encourage and support members in doing the same; and

Be it further resolved that our union representatives will share this statement on the AFSCME DC47 website and with our union members.

Note: Portions of the content and text of this document are adapted from a resolution from AFSCME Wisconsin Local 1, resolution template from CWA [Communication Workers of America] members and statements from National Nurses United, UAW [United Auto Workers] Locals 4811, 872 and 2478, SEIU [Service Employees Union], United Electricians and AFT Local 2334 [American Federation of Teachers/Professional Staff Congress]. We are grateful to our fellow unions and these organizations for their work in fighting for the rights of all workers.