OPPOSITION WITHIN
THE LABOUR MOVEMENT TO CONDEMNATION OF
This page aims to document the substantial opposition within
the labour movement to one-sided condemnations of
Click here for an Academic Boycott Resource Centre, documenting the history of proposed anti-Israel academic boycotts around the world and opposition to them.
Within the
Canadian
CUPE Local 3902:
In the aftermath of CUPE Ontario Division’s Resolution 50 of May, 2006, the general membership of CUPE Local 3902 adopted a statement opposing Resolution 50.
CUPE 3902 represents over 6000 teaching
assistants and sessional lecturers at the
CUPE Local 79:
On
CUPE 79 represents 18,000 City of
CUPE Local 1393:
The President of CUPE Local 1393
said that the local’s
representatives would oppose a ban on Israeli academics, and that the local
would disaffiliate from CUPE’s Ontario Division if
the ban is adopted. CUPE
1393 represents 210 technical, professional and trades staff at the
CUPE Local 110:
The long-time President of CUPE
Local 110 wrote his opposition
to CUPE Ontario Division’s taking a position on
CUPE 110 represents over 400 support
staff at the Winnipeg School Division.
Disaffiliation from CUPE
Several CUPE Locals have withdrawn their affiliations with the Ontario Division as a result of its anti-Israel activity, including:
Local 2137 (180 workers at Jewish Vocational Services of Greater Toronto)
Local 2063 (workers from UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, Canadian Jewish Congress, and Jewish Immigrant Aid Services Toronto)
Local
265 (100 workers at Jewish Family and Child Service in
Decertification from CUPE:
Former members of CUPE Local
2063(a) (77 workers at UJA Federation of Greater
Toronto and Canadian Jewish Congress) have completely decertified from CUPE (National) in 2007 as a result of anti-Israel
activity. These former members created the
United Employees Association to represent them, which later merged with OPSEU.
Individual Member Activity:
150 CUPE members, both Jewish and
non-Jewish, picketed outside CUPE Ontario Division’s
offices in
One individual resigned from her position as a teacher in the Toronto District School Board so as not to contribute union dues toward CUPE’s anti-Israel activity.
Other Unions in
In September, 2008, the Canada Council of Carpenters adopted
a resolution giving “Support for
Israel and Peace in the Middle East” and calling for “a cessation of
threats to boycott and divest from the state of
The Council represents over 60,000 workers throughout
Buzz Hargrove:
The former president of Canadian Auto Workers, the largest
private sector union in
Outside
Histadrut (
The Histadrut is the General
Federation of Labour in
In a message from January, 2007, Histadrut Chairman Ofer Eini asks for “cooperation, fostering of good relations, and the creation of solidarity between Israeli workers and their counterparts throughout the world.” He also states:
“Trade unions are called upon to
act to remove any boycott against the Israeli economy. The effect of such a boycott can only cause
harm to Israeli workers organised in fellow trade unions. Furthermore, the Histadrut
believes that all trade unions in the
Also from Histadrut Chairman Ofer Eini: How Canadian
labour can truly help Palestinians
A Brief History of the Histadrut can be found here.
Trade Union Friends of
Trade Union Friends of
Israel is an organization of British trade unionists “established to
strengthen the links between the Histadrut (the
Israeli
Among their statements:
“TUFI aims to get British trade
unionists to lend support to their Israeli and Palestinian counterparts in
order to promote trade union co-operation and understanding….”
“Calling for boycotts of
Eric Lee:
Eric Lee, the founding editor of “LabourStart:
Where trade unionists start their day on the net”, has written extensively
about
Two particularly good pieces:
“Unions
- If you want to help the Palestinians, don't boycott Israel” (June, 2007)
“The
Left should be supporting Israel in this war” (July, 2006, during
Here is the Jewish Labour Committee’s Statement on Gaza.
Here is a long list of American
unions opposed to boycotts of
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To submit any corrections,
factual additions, or source clarifications to this list, please e-mail me at: ari.brodsky@utoronto.ca Please include
sources (either web-based or otherwise).