Nine months ago, the House Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee held a hearing about the “alarming rise” Jew-hatred in U.S. workplaces. Since then, “unfortunately, the problem has only worsened,” Rep. Rick Allen (R-Ga.), chair of the subcommittee, said at a hearing of the panel on “Bad Medicine: Politics, Unions, and Antisemitism in Health Care” on Wednesday.
“Across the nation and around the world, Jewish people continue to face discrimination, intimidation and violence,” the congressman said.
Allen said that the hearing would “examine how healthcare unions are using their resources to advance an anti-Israel political agenda while harassing and discriminating against Jewish doctors, nurses and other health care workers.”
“Instead of fulfilling their duty to fairly represent all employees, these unions have chosen to engage in divisive, discriminatory and antisemitic conduct,” he said.
After the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks, the Committee of Interns and Residents, a Service Employees International Union affiliate, “adopted a series of resolutions condemning Israel for genocide,” the congressman said at the opening of the hearing.
“One resolution endorsed the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement and called on CIR members to encourage teaching hospitals to cut all ties with Israel—including financial investments, pension funds, retirement accounts, academic partnerships and intellectual property relationships,” he said.
“My colleagues on the other side of the aisle may be frustrated that we continue to discuss workplace antisemitism. I’m frustrated, too,” he added. “But until Jewish workers can expect dignity and safety in their workplaces—and until unions return to their core mission of representing all workers—we cannot afford to stop talking about it.”
This is a developing story.
