Published
March 14, 2024
On March 11, Representative Virginia Foxx, Chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, issued a subpoena to United Auto Workers Union Local 2325 seeking information about a controversial resolution adopted by the union’s leadership. The subpoena was issued after the union conveyed that it would not cooperate with the committee’s investigation of the resolution.
The resolution in question is titled: “Resolution Calling for a Ceasefire in Gaza, an End to the Israeli Occupation of Palestine, and Support for Workers’ Political Speech.” Given the current situation, any resolution related to the Middle East is likely to generate strong feelings of one kind or another. Apparently, this one did.
According to the committee, “several of Local 2535’s members were forced to be associated with a union that had taken a critical position affecting their faith, the state of Israel, and Israeli sovereignty.” Forced is certainly the correct word here since Local 2535 is located in New York, which is not a right-to-work state. As a result, members of the union are forced to pay union dues no matter how vehemently they may disagree with leadership. And it seems that some members certainly did disagree.
Surprisingly, Local 2325 is not involved in building cars. Rather, the union represents legal aid attorneys. But perhaps that shouldn’t be so surprising. At one time, the UAW represented 1.5 million workers. Today, it represents under 400,000. As its ranks have shrunk, it has tried to recruit members wherever possible and, as a result, represents workers in such disparate sectors as graduate education, peanut packaging, museum staff, legal aid attorneys, and even loofah bath scrub makers.
Regardless of where they are employed, this wouldn’t be the first time workers had a disagreement with the leadership of a union, and whether or not Local 2325 ultimately cooperates with Chair Foxx, it is unlikely to be the last.
About the authors
Glenn Spencer
Spencer oversees the Chamber’s work on immigration, retirement security, traditional labor relations, human trafficking, wage hour and worker safety issues, EEOC matters, and state labor and employment law.
