A labor union of Metropolis College of New York professors repealed a controversial decision supporting a boycott of Israel – as members cited voting “irregularities” and fierce backlash.
The “boycott, divest and sanction” decision handed final month final month targeted on slicing off union reserves from the Jewish State and urging the lecturers’ pension system together with professors to do the identical.
It handed in a slender 73-70 and slammed Israel’s bombing of Gaza and the killing of hundreds of civilians.
However amid a backlash from members who assist Israel, leaders with the Skilled Employees Congress mentioned there have been “irregularities” with the preliminary Jan. 23 vote.
The school union held a second vote on the BDS decision Feb. 20 — and the divestment decision was overwhelmingly defeated with 113 opposed, whereas solely 63 votes in favor.
“The [PSC] Delegate Assembly chose to rescind the resolution because irregularities were identified in the January 23 vote. The irregularities were corrected and a revote was held on February 20,” confirmed PSC spokesman Francis Clark.
“The divestment resolution failed with a vote of 113 opposed, 63 in favor.”
Professional-Israel professors claimed criticism of the anti-Israel decision pressured the union to conduct a revote on it. Opponents claimed singling out the Jewish State for a boycott was antisemitic.
For instance, the assertion made no point out of the Oct. 7, 2023 assault on Israel when Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 individuals within the Jewish State and took scores of hostages — triggering Israel’s response and successfully ending the struggle.
“I am thrilled that the union – solely for its own survival—rescinded its hateful, illegal, and antisemitic resolution and I am hopeful that this is a trend that catches on nationally,” mentioned CUNY legislation professor Jeffrey Lax, founding father of College students, Alumni, and School for Equality on Campus [S.A.F.E].
“We have a long way to go to reform this union and make it a tolerant one for Jewish and all people.”
It’s not the primary time that the PSC outraged professors with anti Israel actions.
In June 2021, the CUNY professors’ union handed a one-sided decision rebuking Israel for assaults on Palestinians — indicating then it could assist the BDS motion down the street.
Scores of professors have stop the union over its hostility to Israel, Lax mentioned.
In 2022, professors at CUNY’s Regulation College additionally handed a decision in assist of the BDS motion.
College students, joined by some professors, disrupted and even vandalized some CUNY campuses with anti-Israel protests over the previous 12 months.
An impartial probe commissioned by Hochul and launched final September discovered that CUNY wants a top-to-bottom overhaul to fight “alarming’’ antisemitism fanned by its personal school and do-nothing higher-ups.
