Gustavo Gordillo, co-chair of the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, has had his membership in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 3 lapse, despite continuing to describe himself on social media as a “union electrician.”
The development comes after the union terminated Gordillo from its electrical-construction apprenticeship program “after ghosting his employer for months,” according to the New York Post.
Local 3 stated on Wednesday that Gordillo enrolled in its construction apprenticeship program and became a union member. But after determining that he had been absent from required work and classes for an extended period, the trustees of the Joint Apprentice Training Committee fired him from the program in March.
The union’s action follows scrutiny of Gordillo’s personal finances. The 38-year-old socialist leader lives in a roughly $1.5 million Brooklyn townhouse his parents purchased and renovated through a family-owned LLC, according to the Post. His social media account, @unionGustavo, continues to identify him as a “union electrician.”
Gordillo has been a prominent critic of Israel. In April, he said the NYC-DSA was “heartened” by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-N.Y.) decision to oppose all U.S. military aid to Israel, including defensive systems such as the Iron Dome. He said the chapter supported her position and had been working to persuade her on the issue.
NYC-DSA has also described the war in Gaza as a “genocide,” a characterization Gordillo has echoed in his public activism.
