forced to pay coalition that claims Israel engages in “ethnic cleaning.”
Due to its support for Israel strikes, University of Chicago law students have filed a complimentary conversation lawsuit against their union.
According to the pending federal issue, the Graduate Students Union at UChicago violates individuals ‘ freedom of speech through” a new collective bargaining agreement.”
The contract requires doctoral students “either become dues paying members of the union, or give an equal ‘ company fee,’ as a condition of continuing their work as teaching assistants, research assistants, or related positions”.
The students object to their money being used to support the” Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions”, campaign against Israel and other political positions taken by the union. The law individuals, as study assistants, were rapidly added into the union in March 2024 following a swift vote. Less than 10 % of law students at the University of Chicago cast their ballots in the poll.
Both GSU and its family union, the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America, support the ban, which claims that Israel is an “apartheid plan” that has committed “ethnic cleansing” and is “occupying Palestine”.
Also, the student coalition at the University of Chicago has joined “UChicago United for Palestine Coalition” and “reaffirmed” its dedication to BDS” only one week after the October 7 criminal attacks”, according to the complaint.
To advance their careers and pay for their education and cost-of-living charges, the individuals who are filing the complaint depend on their careers as teaching and research helpers. And some, as the state says, are” abused as to how to measure their consciences against their professions”.
The College Fix‘s numerous email requests for comment in recent weeks have not been responded to by the student union.
Additionally, counsel for the individuals did not respond to requests for post from The Fix.
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An advocate for employee flexibility said “union leaders” often “take radical positions]that the laborers ] resist”.
Patrick Semmens, vice president of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, said this based on his group’s practice reading from “workers seeking free legitimate support”.
Similar issues involving pro-Israel employees who oppose their union’s political advocacy are the subject of the workers ‘ rights group’s legal battles. Specifically, his team is even battling the electronic workers coalition at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He said via a media statement” the history of] United Electrical ] is filled with such examples”.
Semmens cites a recent event in which foundation attorneys are “providing free legal aid to many Jewish graduate students at MIT who were appalled by the union’s anti-Israel rhetoric and controversial protest activity and sought to cut out all economic support to the union by asking for spiritual accommodations under Title VII.”
Semmens described how” Foundation staff attorney Glenn Taubman said that his phone has been “ringing off the hook” since the October 7 attack on Israel because Jewish students and workers across the country are feeling increasingly targeted by union rhetoric and want to dissociate.”
While the foundation’s MIT case and this one at UChicago are at different stages, Semmens said “one thing is in common: GSU-UE union officials initially denied each of them a legally-required religious accommodation, claiming that nothing in Judaism prevented them from supporting a union”.
According to the National Labor Relations Act, “workers can opt out of membership but can be required to pay dues or fees to a union hierarchy as a condition of staying employed,” according to Semmens.
In right-to-work states, employees have more freedom to opt out of a union.
Semmes claims that he anticipates that the courts will understand that this type of compulsion has no place in America based on the outcomes of this case filing and other similar cases.
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IMAGE: COGS Union/Instagram
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