Israeli Postdoc Sues UC Berkeley Union for ‘Anti-Semitic’ Discrimination

Karin Yaniv left Israel to conduct research and pursue her microbiology career at UC Berkeley, but she alleges that her graduate student union has created an atmosphere of pervasive hostility and relentless abuse targeting Israeli Jews. Her lawsuit, Yaniv v. United Auto Workers 4811, seeks to end the union’s discrimination and hold its officials accountable for creating a hostile work environment in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and California law.

United Auto Workers union backs anti-Israel campus protests 

Less than a week after the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks on Israel, union officials condemned Israel and called for it to end its “occupation and apartheid system.” Union officials soon encouraged union members to attend a pro-Palestine rally which was advertised with posters depicting Israel engulfed in flames and a man wielding an AK-47.

The union later called for a pro-Palestine walkout and rally and even established a “Union Village” within a pro-Palestine encampment on UC Berkeley’s campus. Karin believes this move was intended to legitimize the encampment in the eyes of university administrators and prevent it from being shut down. Karin viewed these actions as “a knife in the back” that gave rise to a “culture of anti-Semitism” within the union.

Israeli postdoc joins union to promote dialogue

In response to the union’s anti-Semitic hostility, Karin and other Israeli Jews sought to engage in dialogue with the union. But UAW officials, who represent some 48,000 University of California employees, said they would only meet with dues-paying members. So Karin joined the union with the goal of building a bridge between union officials and Israeli students.

Instead of responding to her concerns, union officials prevented her from participating in working groups open to all other members, withheld communications given to other members, and violated their own rules to stifle her participation in meetings and votes, she alleges.

Union committee created apparent ‘hitlist’ of Jews, supported anti-Israel organizations

Karin discovered that a UAW committee had drafted an apparent “hitlist” (later revised) of members of the UC Board of Regents with Jewish or Israeli ties and targeted them for investigation.

Another union committee shared its resources and provided support to pro-Palestine political organizations, including UC Faculty for Justice in Palestine, Law Students for Justice in Palestine, Bears for Palestine, Graduate Students for Justice in Palestine, and others. Some of these organizations shared violent imagery targeting Israel. Bears for Palestine was involved in a violent demonstration that shut down a campus event featuring an Israeli speaker.

UAW commits to bargaining for boycott, divestment, and sanctions

The union passed a pro-boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) resolution in January 2024 that committed the union to “leverag[ing] our power as workers to wage a BDS campaign at the University of California.”

The BDS movement seeks to pressure companies, organizations, and countries to stop doing business with Israel. Karin and many Jews see BDS as anti-Semitic, but union officials ignored her attempts to propose motions and object to the lack of transparency during meetings related to BDS.

In April 2024, the union passed an even more forceful commitment to BDS aimed at making it a collective bargaining priority that would “set a crucial precedent for all unions in the higher education sector to wage effective BDS campaigns.” If successful, the union’s BDS objectives could cut off academic grants and programs with any tie to Israel, potentially jeopardizing the careers of Israeli Jews across the UC system.

Union fails to stop harassment, mockery targeting Jews

In union meetings, Karin and others experienced pervasive hostility and intimidation. When Jewish or Israeli students spoke, they would be laughed at, mocked, or shouted down.

For example, the complaint describes a union meeting held on Zoom where an Israeli union member whose family members were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 spoke against the union’s anti-Israel conduct. Other union members laughed at her, interrupted her, and one wrote “LMFAO” in the chat while union leaders did nothing to stop this abusive behavior.

The union’s actions “fostered an atmosphere of hostility and terror for Israeli Jews, such as Yaniv, who felt ostracized, targeted, and unsafe,” according to the complaint.

UAW treats Israeli Jews as second-class members

Karin joined a union subcommittee to influence the union’s attitude and actions toward Jews, but the subcommittee did its work without her. When Karin objected, a union official acknowledged that she had been intentionally excluded from the subcommittee communications and resources and that the union could exclude her in this way even though it would be “illegal” in other contexts, according to the complaint. The only other union members excluded like this were also Jewish and Israeli.

Yaniv v. UAW 4811 alleges union violated Civil Rights Act

In January 2025, Karin filed a lawsuit alleging that UAW officials repeatedly discriminated against her because of her race, Israeli nationality, and religion. The complaint alleges that the union violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which says it is unlawful for a “labor organization” to “discriminate against… any individual because of his race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.”

She also alleges the union illegally created a hostile work environment in violation of Title VII, and that the union’s actions violated California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act. The complaint seeks an injunction prohibiting the union from discriminating against Jews or Israelis, an order requiring the union to provide anti-discrimination training, damages, and other forms of relief.

Yaniv v. UAW 4811 is before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Documents

• Complaint – January 24, 2025
• News Release – January 27, 2025

February 6, 2025:“‘I tried to reform the union from within but was greeted only by more hate and abuse. I hope my lawsuit shows the thousands of others represented by the union what it is saying and doing in their name and ends the harassment I’ve experienced.’”

January 27, 2025: “According to the complaint, union officials participated in campus encampments, approved anti-Israel resolutions, chanted anti-Israel slogans and withheld information from Jewish union members given to other members.”

January 24, 2025: “‘The union’s anti-Israel agenda has created a hostile work environment for many of us on campus. They discriminated against Israeli members, including myself, from union activities and on top of all of that, they’re going after our academic freedom.'”