Muslim American Workers, Faith and Labor Organizing

Islam is one of the fastest-growing religions in the U.S. Muslim-Americans are racially, ethnically and theologically diverse and are a politically engaged constituency. It is a community experiencing immense economic insecurity alongside political vulnerability due to discrimination, which make them inclined to labor organizing. Despite these demographic changes, the U.S. labor movement is not addressing this growing faith-based community. In this article, I discuss three examples of successful labor organizing interventions led by Muslim-American workers or where Muslim-Americans were actively engaged which have resulted in positive gains for all workers.

They are: (1) New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA) Post 9-11 Organizing & 2016 Airport Strike against Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban; (2) Awood Center in Minnesota organizing Somali Muslim Amazon workers; and (3) Teamster Local 117 advocacy of Muslim majority Hertz airport drivers. Through these examples, I illustrate how a strategic and intentional integration of a faith-based justice-oriented approach to labor organizing to engage Muslim-American workers can advance labor rights that benefit all workers. Grounding this faith-based justice approach in a collective labor organizing context prevents religious identity from becoming a matter of individual concern and allows for greater solidarity among workers of diverse backgrounds. While important work to protect the rights of Muslim-American workers is transpiring through anti-discrimination laws, those laws reflect an individual rights approach which limit redress that can be achieved for all workers.

As such, labor organizations with Muslim majority workplaces must engage with their members in their faith and as workers.