CJLC January 2025 Newsletter

Update from the Committee

The Canadian Jewish Labour Committee (CJLC), made up of Jewish members across multiple provincial and federal unions, has been working closely with Jewish workers across the country since its official launch on September 3, 2024.  Guided by our mission statement, we continue to focus on the pressing issues of combating antisemitism within the union environment as well as advancing inclusive policies.

Call For Action:

If you or someone you know is a Jewish union member in Canada, connect with the CJLC and stand strong with other Jewish union members. Together we must act to foster safe places for Jewish people in labour unions. Email us or follow us on social media:

CJLC In The News:

Across Canada, CJLC members are taking bold steps to bring awareness to the rising levels of antisemitism in the labour movement, while simultaneously pushing for change.

On October 7^th, 2024, Jewish OPSEU members filed 27 separate human rights complaints accusing OPSEU of fostering a hostile environment for its Jewish members.

Jewish OPSEU members were successful in adopting a resolution at their convention earlier this year, calling for mandatory antisemitism training for the executive leadership, yet were alarmed to hear that against requests by Jewish members, OPSEU chose a fringe anti-Zionist group, not representative of the wider Jewish community, to deliver this training. 

Forty-nine Jewish CUPE members then raised alarms over the highly biased CUPE International Solidarity Report that should have fairly and accurately addressed international worker struggles, yet instead was a report replete with one-sided, unfounded accusations and disinformation against the State of Israel, directly contributing to further antisemitism and isolation of many Jewish members.

Union Wins:

Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE) – At their recent Annual General Meeting November 17, 2024, in response to CAPE’s misappropriation of member dues in the way of donations and reimbursements for expenses for geopolitical causes, a Jewish CAPE member and a non-Jewish ally introduced two resolutions as a way to refocus the Union’s activism on workplace issues, not Palestine. 

The first addressed the shortcomings of CAPE’s donation policy by imposing common sense guardrails, for example, that recipients have to be a charity or not-for-profit organization, and be at an arm's-length distance from the President and the National Executive Committee. The second resolution addressed CAPE’s improper use of contingency funds, after a $5,000 donation was made to “CAPE for Palestine” (C4P), a newly formed non-recognized caucus of CAPE members. This resolution reallocated the expense to come from the President’s own discretionary budget, ensuring that the Union’s contingency funds are reserved for actual contingencies, and more importantly, it instructed the Union to indefinitely cease contributions to C4P. 

Despite vocal opposition from CAPE’s leadership and their allies, both resolutions were adopted by members with clear margins of victory. Unfortunately, a BDS resolution directing CAPE to “withdraw investments from Israeli-owned companies and from all international companies that provide financial support to sustain the illegal occupation of Palestinian land” also passed.

Upcoming events:

Union policy convention planning is underway and Jewish union members are starting to organize for their union conventions. If you want some support and ideas for organizing for your union convention, please let us know.

CJLC intends to offer education programs to assist Jewish members. Stay tuned for announcements in the coming month.