‘Hot cargo’: Union Delegates Vote to Refuse Handling of Israeli Arms Shipments

NB Federation of Labour Adopts Arms Embargo Resolution Targeting Israel Shipments

The New Brunswick Federation of Labour (NBFL) will call on unions to refuse to handle weapons shipments bound for Israel, following the adoption of a landmark resolution at its recent convention in Saint John.

The resolution urges the province’s central labour body to designate such shipments as “hot cargo”—a term used when unionized workers decline to handle goods in solidarity with a political or moral cause.

“As workers, I think we really have the ability to hold the bosses and our governments to account in a way that other people can’t,” said Kevin Levangie, a letter carrier and regional union representative involved with Labour 4 Palestine.

Levangie introduced the resolution on behalf of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW). He pointed to historical examples of union resistance: longshore workers shut down the Port of Saint John in 1979 to block the shipment of heavy water to Argentina during its military dictatorship; in 2003, they refused to handle military cargo bound for Iraq; and more recently, they declined to cross a picket line over the shipment of light armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia for use in its war in Yemen.

Read more: “No Hot Cargo” — An ode to Saint John port worker solidarity

Calling for a National Arms Embargo

The resolution also pushes the NBFL to advocate for a federal arms embargo on Israel, covering both direct exports and those routed through third-party countries.

Although then–Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly, announced in 2023 that Canadian-made arms would be barred from being used in Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, activists say a major loophole remains: weapons components continue to be exported to the United States, the world’s largest arms supplier to Israel.

For instance, a March report from Project Ploughshares revealed that a Quebec-based General Dynamics subsidiary was contracted to produce $78.8 million worth of artillery propellants for the U.S., some of which were destined for Israel.

Activists in New Brunswick have also drawn attention to a factory in Moncton that produces parts for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jets. The Israeli Air Force, a Lockheed customer, has used the jets in attacks on Gaza—including a strike on a “safe zone” in Khan Younis last year that killed 90 Palestinians, according to Amnesty International.

Levangie said it’s “hard to speculate” whether unionized workers will refuse to transport F-35 components made in Moncton. Ultimately, he said, it’s about educating workers on “why they should risk potential discipline at work in order to protect people in another part of the world who are undergoing a genocide.”

Labour Solidarity with Palestine

The NB Federation of Labour has previously endorsed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel in response to the occupation of Palestinian territory and what numerous international human rights organizations have labelled a system of apartheid.

At the national level, the Canadian Labour Congress, Canada’s largest labour organization, is facing mounting pressure from Labour 4 Palestine to declare all Israeli goods and services as hot cargo and advocate for an arms embargo.

Automation, Disarmament and Labour Policy

The resolution on the arms embargo was one of 19 passed during the NBFL’s 56th convention, held last week in Saint John.

Another, submitted by the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 273, calls for the federation to lobby against job loss due to automation.

“We’re seeing this more and more now,” said NBFL President Chris Watson, citing examples like self-checkout kiosks and robot waiters in restaurants. The NBFL is calling for a public inquiry and even the “possible elimination of a lot of it,” he said. “It’s taking away good-paying jobs.”

Watson also raised concerns about the effect of automation on tax revenues, which fund public services.

Meanwhile, a separate resolution from CUPW calling for “the disarmament of the major economic powers” was defeated. It proposed a “just transition” for workers currently employed in military production. Delegates from the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), which includes civilian military workers, objected to the motion.

Watson said the resolution sparked a respectful debate and that union delegates “ultimately decided that we need to support one another in all of our sectors.”

Levangie reiterated CUPW’s long-standing support for the peace and disarmament movement. “If there’s a cut in military expenditure, we want to see an equivalent increase in social expenditure,” he said. “And the idea that any union member would be left behind is not something that we would ever sign up for.”

All resolutions at the convention are passed by majority vote from union delegates.

New Executive Elected, Longtime Leaders Honoured

Delegates elected Chris Watson to a two-year term as NBFL president. Watson had been serving as interim leader following the death of Danny Légère, who led the federation for six years and previously headed CUPE NB for 14 years.

Other elected executive officers include:

• Secretary-Treasurer: Nicholas Maltais (Public Service Alliance of Canada)

• 1st Vice-President: Catherine Little (NB Nurses Union)

• 2nd Vice-President: Matthew Barnable (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers)

• VP for Women’s Issues: Christine Hawkes (Canadian Union of Public Employees)

• VP for Young Workers: Ryley Hallihan (PSAC)

Two longtime labour activists were also inducted into the NBFL Honour Roll:

Danny Légère, remembered for his decades of leadership and advocacy, and Lawrence McKay, a retired Steelworkers leader and former Atlantic Regional Coordinator. Known for his work in mining, McKay was a staunch advocate for workplace safety. “Coming from the mining sector and seeing so many underground fatalities, he was a lifelong advocate for safe and healthy workplaces for all workers,” said the federation in a press release.

The NB Federation of Labour is the province’s largest central labour body, representing around 40,000 workers from public and private sector unions.

David Gordon Koch is a journalist with the NB Media Co-op. This reporting was made possible in part by the Government of Canada, administered by the Canadian Association of Community Television Stations and Users (CACTUS).