The rise of UAW President Shawn Fain has been met with alarm in powerful corridors

The federally appointed monitor tasked with overseeing the United Auto Workers, Neil Barofsky, is ratcheting up his conflict with UAW President Shawn Fain, announcing another investigation into the union leader who rose to national prominence amid the successful “Stand Up Strike” against the Big Three automakers.

Yet newly unveiled documents suggest Barofsky’s pursuit of Fain has less to do with concerns over union self-dealing and more to do with the politics of Israel-Palestine.

Fain told Barofsky, the source said, that the ceasefire resolution was in no way antisemitic or even pro-Palestinian, but simply an expression of the union’s desire for peace. Fain added that that it was impossible for the monitor to call the union president in a strictly personal capacity, given the power dynamic at play, but that the union intended to stand by its call for a ceasefire and he would be appearing at the press conference on Capitol Hill the next day. The event went off as planned.

That a federal court monitor would think it was appropriate to try to stop that event from happening is extraordinary. That authority is nowhere within his court-appointed power, which derives from U.S. District Judge David M. Lawson, who appointed Barofsky as monitor. Lawson wasn’t available for comment. Barofsky did not respond to a request for comment. “The US Attorney’s Office must decline comment at this time,” said Gina Balaya, a spokesperson the Department of Justice’s Eastern District of Detroit.

  • Linkerbaan@lemmy.worldOP
    262·
    6 months ago

    TLDR:

    • The United Autoworker Union announced they were going to call for ceasefire in Gaza

    • Department of Justice “watchdog” and israel supporter Barofsky used his power to pressure the UAW to not call for a ceasefire calling it ‘antisemitic’

    • The UAW called for a ceasefire in Gaza anyway

    • Barofsky confirms he works with the israeli ADL lobby in a meeting

    • Barofsky abuses his DOJ powers and accuses the UAW president Fain of being engaged in a breach of ethics and starts making up allegations against Fain.

    • mkwt@lemmy.world
      10·
      6 months ago

      Jeebus louiebus.

      The union voted internally on a resolution, and then union leadership held a press conference following that resolution? What else is the guy supposed to do, but represent the will of his constituents?

  • Kaboom@reddthat.com
    425·
    6 months ago

    Wtf is a labor union doing commenting on Gaza? Dont split your base on shit that isnt related to your cause. Thats how occupy wallstreet failed.

    • Linkerbaan@lemmy.worldOP
      51·
      6 months ago

      It’s in Fain’s letter in the article. It appears the UAW is based.

      By way of background, as you are aware, the UAW has a long history of taking positions on issues of civil rights, even when doing so has been perceived by some to be controversial. In 1978, the UWA divested from banks that were doing business with the apartheid regime in South Africa. This decision was made eight years before the United States imposed economic sanctions and is regarded by many to be one of the early catalysts that sparked the global divestment movement leading to the end of apartheid.

    • Ledivin@lemmy.world
      51·
      6 months ago

      If you support genocide, then you don’t deserve the protection anyway. Nobody is calling for Israeli genocide, they’re calling for the end of another Holocaust.

        • kmaismith@lemm.ee
          2·
          6 months ago

          Being empathetic of palastinians is not supporting hamas. The call is for a ceasefire, as in to stop the bloodshed wholesale. No reasonable person right now is or could be advocating to let hamas retaliate

    • Zombie-Mantis@lemmy.world
      3·
      6 months ago

      Everyone can, should, and must oppose genocide. It is not and cannot ever be acceptable for one nation to slaughter another. It’s not an excuse for any groups within Palestine, or who claim to act on behalf of the Palestinian people, it’s a call for an end to violence, for the sake of all humanity.

    • Jtotheb@lemmy.world
      2·
      6 months ago

      Since everyone has pointed out the other things wrong with your comment, Occupy Wall Street’s failure strangely coincided with the when the cops were sent to throw everybody out of the camps 🤔🤔