Jewish Voice for Peace takes on bias in the United Auto Workers (UAW) and other unions that have turned their backs on human rights
By Karen Ackerman
I was the Political Director of the AFL-CIO (the largest federation of unions in the U.S.) for 8 years. But long-before I worked for the AFL-CIO, one of my first jobs in the labor movement was with the United Auto Workers, one of America’s biggest and best unions. I’m so proud of the work we did at the UAW, fighting for better pay and conditions for workers. But today, I’m incredibly disappointed in the leadership of the UAW.
Here’s why:
In December 2014, rank-and-file members of Local 2865 of the United Auto Workers (they represent over 14,000 teaching assistants and other workers at the Universities of California) voted to support boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) of Israel. With their vote, they honored the call of Palestinian civil society, and joined millions of people the world over who are taking non-violent action to protest Israel’s human rights abuses.
But then their vote was undemocratically overturned by the International Executive Board of the UAW, the highest body of their union. That decision is now heading to an impartial review board, who’ll have the final say.
I’ve been speaking to members of Local 2865 all week, and they need our help: they need us to show UAW leaders and the review board that there are people all over the world — Jews and allies — who stand with them in support of BDS.
Click here to sign our open letter in support of UAW Local 2865’s brave vote for BDS — and add a personal message too.
There’s no suggestion (really, none at all) that there were any problems with the vote that Local 2865 took. In fact, it was supported overwhelmingly, by over two thirds of those who voted — more people than voted in the union’s contract ratification! But the defenders of Israel’s racist policies couldn’t accept defeat, and they’ve been fighting dirty.
Working with a corporate law firm, a small group of anti-BDS union members petitioned the International Executive Board to overturn the democratic vote. They tried to claim that the vote had been unfair, or compromised — but there was no evidence whatsoever for that. So they resorted to the oldest trick in the book: false charges of anti-Semitism.
Let me be absolutely clear: anti-Semitism is real, and we need to fight it. But slandering those of us who speak out against Israel’s human rights abuses doesn’t help the fight against prejudice. As Jews and allies, we need to stand up proudly and declare: criticising Israel is not anti-Semitic. Boycotting Israel is not anti-Semitic.
Send a message of support to UAW Local 2865. It might not seem like much, but a quick message will make a big difference to rebutting the claims of our opponents.
Support from the labor movement played a vital role in bringing down South African apartheid, and UAW Local 2865 is following in those footsteps. But now, they’re having their name dragged through the mud for daring to speak out against the crimes that Israel commits. Their union is being slandered as anti-Semitic, and as Jews and allies committed to justice, we must not let it stand.
I’m Jewish. I support BDS. I support Local 2865. If you stand with me, sign our letter of support.
Click here to support the Jewish Voice for Peace campaign
Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.
Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).
Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.
Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.
His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.
Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.
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