The American Jewish Committee of Los Angeles announced Wednesday evening that the labor union representing graduate student workers at all University of California campuses, a chapter of United Auto Workers International, had reversed an earlier decision to adopt an anti-Israel resolution.
UAW 2865 had adopted the “BDS” resolution—part of the Boycott-Divest-Sanction Movement that aims to punish Israel for taking action against Islamists who attack its citizens—last year. The resolution called on the University of California and UAW International to divest from companies doing business in Israel and to boycott Israeli academic institutions.
According to AJC Los Angeles, a graduate student who is a member of UAW 2865 filed an appeal with the UAW International in Detroit in March. He was assisted with his appeal by Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP’s Los Angeles office.
AJC had previously condemned the resolution as counterproductive to Middle East peace.
“We applaud the UAW International for its moral and responsible decision, which nullifies last year’s deeply misguided graduate student workers’ resolution targeting Israel,” AJC Los Angeles Region President Dean Schramm said. “The role of the UC Graduate Student Union is to improve the working conditions of UC graduate students, not to engage in polarizing political propaganda and misinformation promoted by the BDS Movement, which seeks to delegitimize Israel’s right to exist.”
