Columbia Jewish grad students file complaint against union over anti-Semitic, anti-Israel agenda
Jewish graduate workers at Columbia University filed a federal complaint against their union, alleging that Student Workers of Columbia prioritizes political agendas, including boycotting Israel, over workplace rights.
Critics say compulsory union membership forces students to accept representation from leaders promoting radical and anti-Israel views.
Jewish graduate workers at Columbia University are pushing back against their union, alleging that political agendas are taking priority over their workplace rights.
The students, represented by the National Right to Work Foundation (NRTW), filed a federal complaint against the Student Workers of Columbia (SWC), an affiliate of United Auto Workers (UAW).
Their advocacy group, Graduate Researchers Against Discrimination and Suppression (GRADS), argues that union leaders have diverted resources toward advancing causes such as boycotting Israel.
According to NRTW, the case highlights how compulsory union membership forces Jewish students to accept representation from officials who, they say, act in bad faith and promote hostile ideologies.
“We are concerned about the lack of transparency, undemocratic operation, and unprofessional conduct within [Student Workers of Columbia],” GRADS said in a statement shared with The Algemeiner.
“Much of SWC’s leadership has been suspended for taking part in building takeovers on campus, meaning that our representatives are no longer part of the bargaining unit,” the group added. “To date, SWC insists on retaining these former students in leadership, and has not issued any communications about this.”
“Far from facilitating a more harmonious relationship between graduate students and the Columbia administration, UAW union bosses are simply ramping up radical extremism at a university that has already seen more than its share of chaos,” contended NRTW president Mark Mix in a Sept. 22 press release.
According to the group’s website, NRTW is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating coercive union power and compulsory unionism abuses through strategic litigation, public education, and information programs.
SWC, by contrast, is a student workers union within UAW Local 2710 that represents over 3,000 Columbia University students providing instructional or research services.
This is not the first time that unions connected to higher education have been accused of promoting anti-Semitism.
At a congressional hearing earlier this month, experts and students alleged that campus labor unions, including the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers (UE) union, engage in anti-Semitism by forcing Jewish graduate students into nonconsensual relationships and using compulsory membership to suppress speech.
Cornell Ph.D. student David Rubinstein cited UE’s support for Hamas as a reason to distance himself from the organization.
Overall, campus anti-Semitism reached a new high this summer, with Hillel International reporting 2,334 incidents during the 2024–2025 school year—a dramatic rise from 1,853 the previous year.
Campus Reform has contacted Columbia University, Student Workers of Columbia, and the National Right to Work Foundation for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
