Jew-hatred is “pervasive” at unions, which often “usurp” the rights of their members “in pursuit of political and activist ends,” according to a 26-page report that the House Education and the Workforce Committee released on Sept. 20.
“Antisemitism has no place in any civil society, and unions that engage in divisive, anti-Israel politics must be held accountable,” said Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), the committee chair.
Foxx singled out the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys that represents New York public defenders, public interest lawyers and their staff, which is an affiliate of the United Auto Workers.
“This report pinpoints the caustic, antisemitic ideology that has consumed many unions, ALAA in particular, while providing common sense legislative prescriptions that will aid in properly educating union members across the nation on their statutory rights—one of them being the right to free speech,” Foxx said. “The time for accountability is now.”
The legal union passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and claimed that Israel engaged in “ethnic cleansing and genocide.” In March, Foxx’s committee subpoenaed the union after it failed to turn over documents. Several members “were forced to be associated with a union that had taken a critical position affecting their faith, the State of Israel and Israel’s sovereignty,” the chair stated at the time.
“Not only did ALAA allow antisemitic and general harassment to go unchecked, but it also attempted to conceal its toxic environment from Congress,” the House committee stated in its recent report. “Nearly 35% of ALAA members and nearly 30% of the MIT Graduate Student Union members rejected political resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, demonstrating how union leadership is needlessly diverging from the primary interests of members.”
“Unions should represent the interests of their membership. Yet too many unions are wading into contentious political issues that have nothing to do with labor-management relations and are ignoring their core mission of representing workers,” per the committee’s report.
