Ahead of planned Labour Day protests in US, Palestinian American labour leader spotlights urgency for workers' rights and community resistance

With US Labour Day demonstrations planned for Monday, Los Angeles, the first target of President Trump's domestic military intervention, is expected to hold one of the largest gatherings.

For Palestinian American Ali Tweini, a longtime labour leader in California's largest city, the demonstrations will be an important moment in his life of workers activism.

"I've been an activist all my life. I don't accept the status quo," Tweini, who emigrated from Jordan in 1986, tells The New Arab.

He became a union leader while working one of his first jobs in retail. As a young employee, he noticed that he and others were often asked to help customers during what were supposed to be their lunch breaks. In response, he learned about labour rights from books at the local library and organised fellow workers to demand breaks.

"If we don't say anything, they'll think it's OK," he says. "We began to resist. I noticed at that point, when people know you're aware of your rights, they’ll treat you differently."

He recalls, "This was a steppingstone for me—first to understand the struggle and then to know there's a way to do things."

After finishing his studies, he worked in an environment where there was no union representation. Then, in 2011 he began working at the University of California in healthcare finance. He was encouraged to run for union leadership, and in 2014 was elected as a trustee, representing around 11,000 employees in Teamsters Local 2010 (the union chapter), allowing him to work with other union leaders across different sectors. In 2018, he was appointed by the California state senate to serve as state commissioner.

"In a perfect world, you'd think you don't need legislation to treat workers right," he said.

His labour advocacy has brought him into the fold of CLUE (Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice) advocating for workers' rights. Their board is composed of Christian and Jewish faith leaders, with Tweini being the only Muslim representative. They have been at the forefront in advocating for immigrant workers in Los Angeles amid the government raids and detentions, mainly targeting Latin Americans.

"In labour, we believe we don't just represent workers, but also communities," says Tweini. "During the latest crisis, CLUE was one of the first organisations in front of the detention centre. We practice our activism."

Being Palestinian, he believes, also informed his activism and perspective. "Knowing that I was made a refugee before I was born," he continues. "My father was from Jerusalem and my mother was from Ramallah. They were exiled and moved to Jordan. Every form of activism, my immigration situation and my faith have been factors in driving me to do better."

While advocating for others, he is also cognizant of his own identity, making him and his family potential targets in the ongoing crackdowns on immigrants.

"Every time I go some place, I tell my kids what to do and who to call. This affects everyone who's an immigrant," he says.

Multiple US labour unions have passed resolutions condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza, a position that has developed solidarity between workers and Palestinian human rights advocates.

Tweini wonders if labour leaders could be part of the peace process, or at least offer better solutions than politicians. "If politicians can't find an exit out of this misery, maybe labour can," he argues. "Labour has always stepped in to better the lives of workers. We hope we can increase the density of unions, not just in America but across the world."