(Detroit, MI – June 19, 2026) StandWithUs strongly condemns the United Auto Workers (UAW) vote to divest from Israel Bonds on June 18, 2026. This comes after a years-long campaign marked by documented antisemitism, legal action, and anti-Israel extremism within the union. The union faction behind the vote explicitly tied itself to Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS), a global campaign of hate that seeks to eliminate Israel.
“When a union is forced to pay a $315,000 federal settlement over its treatment of Jewish members who oppose BDS, it should be reexamining its priorities—not further embracing this hate movement,” said Roz Rothstein, CEO & Co-Founder StandWithUs. “Divestment does nothing to bring Israelis and Palestinians closer to peace, but it does indicate that antisemitism is becoming institutionalized within UAW. We call on the UAW International Executive Board to strongly condemn BDS for seeking to shut down Israeli-Palestinian cooperation and end Israel’s existence.”
The vote follows a concerning pattern of antisemitism and anti-Israel extremism emerging within the UAW. In November 2025, a UAW chapter paid a $315,000 federal settlement over its treatment of Jewish members who opposed BDS, while another UAW chapter faces a federal discrimination lawsuit brought by a Jewish and Israeli union member. These cases have unfolded alongside increasingly extreme anti-Israel activism within UAW. This includes campus chapters of the union blaming Israel for Hamas’s October 7 massacre and rejecting a resolution calling on Hamas to release the hostages by a 124–18 vote. While campaigning within one of UAW’s campus chapters, a prominent BDS leader declared, “bringing down Israel really will benefit everyone in the world.”
UAW’s vote to divest from Israel Bonds was driven by UAW Labor for Palestine. It is part of a broader effort to pressure UAW to endorse BDS. The extremism of BDS is reflected in the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), which coordinates the movement globally. According to the New York Times, the BNC has close ties to multiple U.S.-designated terrorist groups, including Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The BNC responded to the October 7th massacre by calling it a “powerful armed reaction.”
The vote marks a shameful break from the UAW’s historic opposition to BDS and support for Israel. The union purchased $100,000 in Israel Bonds in 1961. In 2015, UAW’s International Executive Board condemned BDS for its “discrimination and vilification against Israelis and UAW members who are of Jewish lineage,” calling it “a clear and convincing breach” of the union’s constitution. However, since October 7, 2023, current UAW President Shawn Fain has repeatedly aligned himself with anti-Israel activism. This includes signing onto a petition demanding a ceasefire in Gaza that would leave Hamas in power and leading a coalition of major unions demanding an end to US military aid to Israel – a policy that would embolden Iran’s regime, Hezbollah, Hamas, and other genocidal actors in the region.
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed spoke at UAW’s convention on the same day as the divestment vote. He was given a prime speaking slot despite having said he “struggles” to answer whether Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state and calling the Israeli government “just as evil as Hamas.” El-Sayed has campaigned with and refused to condemn the extremism of Hasan Piker, an “influencer” who declared that America deserved 9/11, named Hezbollah’s flag as his favorite flag, and compared a Houthi terrorist to Anne Frank. El-Sayed’s campaign has received significant funding from the family of Amani Barakat and paid at least $40,000 to a consulting firm owned by her son. Barakat is the chair of Al-Awda, a group that celebrated Hamas’s October 7 attack and calls for Israel’s elimination.
StandWithUs stands with every UAW member who has endured antisemitism, intimidation, retaliation, or exclusion for standing up to hatred within their union. We urge the UAW International Executive Board to reject the BDS movement, protect the rights of Jewish members, and recommit itself to the principles of inclusion, solidarity, and mutual respect that should unite all workers.
