Congress investigates anti-Semitism in campus unions tied to Israel hostility
A congressional hearing held on Tuesday included allegations of anti-Semitism in campus labor unions, focusing on the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers (UE) union.
Glenn Taubman, staff attorney for the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, said compulsory union membership can suppress freedom of speech and association.
A congressional hearing held on Tuesday included allegations of anti-Semitism in campus labor unions, focusing on the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers (UE) union.
Experts told the House Committee on Education and the Workforce that Jewish graduate students at universities, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Cornell University, are being forced into nonconsensual relationships with unions, The Algemeiner reports.
Glenn Taubman, staff attorney for the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, said compulsory union membership can suppress freedom of speech and association.
“I am sorry to say that the problem of union antisemitism has not gotten better in the past 14 months,” Taubman explained during his testimony. “It is actually much worse than ever, in part because federal labor law gives unions unique and special privileges they use and abuse to discriminate against disfavored minorities.”
“This was true when unions discriminated against Black workers in the 1950s and 60s, and it is true today when they act against Jews and Israelis,” he added.
Cornell University Ph.D. student David Rubinstein told The Algemeiner that UE’s support for Hamas compelled him to seek ways to distance himself from the union.
“[In September 2023,] the Cornell Graduate Student Union (CGSU) filed for an election to install itself as graduate students’ ‘exclusive bargaining agent,’” Rubinstein stated in his testimony. “CGSU chose to affiliate with the United Electrical Workers (UE), a union that seeks the destruction of Israel – where I have family members living.”
In August, Campus Reform reported about a letter sent to Congress accusing the UE union of fostering anti-Semitism on college campuses.
The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation told the House Committee on Education and the Workforce that the UE and its affiliates created hostile environments at MIT, Stanford, and Cornell.
“In light of President Trump and his administration’s honorable efforts to combat antisemitism on college campuses, we write to bring to your attention a concerning pattern of antisemitism taking place on America’s college campuses at the hand of [UE] and its affiliates,” the letter stated.
This summer, two Jewish Cornell graduate students, including Rubinstein, filed an EEOC complaint against the Cornell Graduate Student Union (CGSU) and its national affiliate, UE, alleging violations of Title VII and religious freedom.
They claimed that they were targeted for refusing to pay union dues due to religious beliefs and subjected to invasive questioning about their faith. Their complaint also alleges politically motivated hostility toward Israel.
Cornell has previously made headlines connected to anti-Semitism by hiring anti-Israel singer Kehlani for a campus concert. The administration claimed it was unaware of the singer’s anti-Semitic history, and initially called a last-minute replacement “too late” before changing its decision.
Campus Reform has contacted United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
