On November 28, 1973, approximately 2,000 Detroit auto workers, led by Arab Americans, walk off their jobs at Chrysler’s Dodge Main plant, demanding that the leadership of their union, the United Auto Workers (UAW), divest from Israel. The strike, which was organized by the union’s recently formed Arab Workers Caucus, was centered around an event taking place that same day in Detroit: Leonard Woodcock, the president of UAW, was set to receive a humanitarian honor from a Zionist organization, B’nai B’rith International.
This local push for divestment began a month prior to the strike, when UAW workers in Detroit became aware that one of its union locals used member dues to purchase over $300,000 in Israeli bonds—and that, at the national level, their union’s pension portfolio invested almost $1 million in the State of Israel. In response, Arab American workers protested outside the local’s office, demanding the bonds’ liquidation. This action was followed by the formation of the Arab Workers Caucus, which included 70 workers from auto factories across the city.