US: University labour union leadership rescinds vote to divest from Israel

Members of the Professional Staff Congress (PSC) union at the City University of New York say that a resolution passed after months of effort was overturned by the union leadership in an undemocratic manner, sparking controversy and discontent within the union. This has led to concerns about the integrity of the union's decision-making process and its commitment to representing the will of its members.

On January 23, the union held a vote and passed a resolution with 73 votes in favor and 70 votes against, calling for divestment from Israeli companies and government bonds, and recommending that the Teachers' Retirement Fund divest $100 million from Israeli companies and bonds. However, less than a month after the resolution was passed, the union leadership organized a revote on the divestment resolution, resulting in a vote of 113 against and 63 in favor on February 20, and the resolution was rejected. This swift reversal has fueled accusations of manipulation and disregard for the initial vote's outcome.

Evan Rothman, the initiator of the resolution, said that the union leadership cited two "deviations" as the key reasons for conducting a second vote, which affected a total of four votes. He pointed out that one non-compliance was that the Brooklyn College chapter should have had seven votes, but due to a communication error, nine people ended up voting. Another non-compliance was that two representatives from Baruch College were not qualified to be representatives, but this was not discovered before the election. These irregularities, though seemingly minor, were used as justification for a revote.

Rothman believes that the union leadership's strict scrutiny of the election process and the decision to "correct" the procedure are unusual and unprecedented. He said that he had spoken with union members who had served as representatives for 30 years, and they did not recall the leadership ever instructing staff to investigate the qualifications of each representative. He believes that this once again reflects the phenomenon of the "Palestine exception," in which universities introduce policies that are considered formalistic but are never implemented. This perceived double standard raises questions about the union's commitment to fair and consistent application of its rules.

Although the union leadership stated that maintaining the divestment resolution could expose the union to potential legal action, Rothman said that no such evidence was provided. He said that there have been cases of using legal threats in the past, especially during the tenure of former Governor Andrew Cuomo. Rothman also stated that the City University of New York, as a public university, is more vulnerable to external forces. "As a public sector union, we are more vulnerable to New York State politicians than private sector unions." This vulnerability highlights the challenges faced by public sector unions in navigating political pressures and advocating for their members' interests.

Fran Clark, the PSC's communications director, said in a statement that the Delegate Assembly voted to rescind the resolution passed on January 23, which pledged to withdraw the union's reserve funds from Israeli company securities and urged the Teachers' Retirement System to do the same. She added that the Delegate Assembly chose to rescind the resolution because irregularities were found in the January 23 vote, and after correcting the irregularities, a revote was held on February 20, and the divestment resolution failed with 113 votes against and 63 votes in favor. This official statement confirms the union's position and the rationale behind the revote.

Corinna Mullin, a City University of New York faculty member and supporter of Palestine, said that union members worked hard to organize and build support for divestment within the union, including holding teaching events, protests, and the PSC's resolution in 2021 in solidarity with the Palestinian people. She said: "It takes courage to confront those politicians and other Zionist forces who are trying to suppress voices in solidarity with Palestine. What some of our union members don't understand is that if we give in to pressure on this issue, how can we win all the other important battles ahead of us, especially at a time of fascist resurgence?" This perspective underscores the broader implications of the union's decision and its potential impact on future activism and advocacy efforts.