UAW Prez Shawn Fain Vetoes Disvestment from Israel – Wisc. U Faculty Strike – Cannes Film Festival Workers to Strike
UAW President Shawn Fain stands with Biden after endorsing him for re-election this January. (Alex Brandon/AP)
BY: MIKE ELK MAY 7, 2024
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UAW President Shawn Fain Vetoes Disinvestment from Israel
The UAW has billions of dollars of pension funds, some of which are invested in Israel. With nearly ⅓ of its union members representing University employees, the UAW is facing pressure from its members to disinvest from Israel.
The United Electrical Workers (UE) has already embraced the disinvestment strategy from Israel, but the UAW seems hesitant to adopt the approach.
Last week, UAW President Shawn Fain and a majority of executive board members voted against disinvesting from Israel.
It’s not the first time that there has been tension within the UAW over the war in Gaza. Last year, the UAW called for a ceasefire in Gaza but still endorsed President Biden, leading to protests from UAW members during a Biden speech to the union’s membership. (Some UAW members were even dragged out of Biden’s speech at a UAW conference for protesting his policies in Palestine.)
Things could get ugly once again within the UAW as Fain resists calls to divest from Israel. The group UAW Labor for Palestine and its members criticized the UAW’s leadership.
“Again @ShawnFainUAW is proving that he is not nearly as committed to reform as he campaigned on. Pathetic,” tweeted UAW member Adam J. Moore. “Business unions gonna business union.”
