Attacks On Fred Hahn Are Intended To Divide The Labour Movement

Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario president Fred Hahn is again in the crosshairs of pundits and politicians over his support for besieged Palestinians.

This latest episode was sparked by Hahn sharing a video on Facebook calling for Israel to be banned from the Olympics, which some have interpreted as antisemitic. As the CBC described it: “The video, reposted to Facebook by Hahn on Aug. 11, shows an Olympic diver on a diving board. The diver, who has a Star of David on his arm, jumps off the board and somersaults in the air. As he heads to the water, he apparently turns into a bomb. Instead of a splash, there are clouds of dust, mayhem and destruction on the ground. Bleeding children are carried away.”

Hahn later expressed “regret” for posting the video, removed it and explained that he aimed to draw attention to the “double standard” of allowing Israel to participate in the Paris Olympics despite its ongoing war on Gaza while the Russian Federation was barred from the games over its war in Ukraine.

As Hahn further elaborated, “My intent was never to associate Jewish people with the violence enacted by the state of Israel. It remains my strongly held view that it is a terrible mistake, and anti-Semitic, to conflate abhorrent actions by the state of Israel with Jewish humanity or identity."

CUPE’s National Executive Board, likely caving to political pressure from external forces or a minority of members opposed to the union’s Palestine solidarity work, then passed a resolution asking Hahn to resign from his position as general vice-president on the national board, with the understanding that the Ontario leader would be removed if he didn’t comply. The union, including many of its members, found the post “deeply problematic,” according to the Board.

On August 22, CUPE Ontario sent a message from Hahn in which he declared his intention to remain in his elected position. It’s worth quoting what the CUPE Ontario leader had to say at length:

“As has happened to our union in the past, those who spoke up against the actions of the state of Israel last fall were quickly labeled antisemitic and vilified, especially online. I was one of those people. This smear was nothing new to those of us who advocate for the cause of Palestine. But the charge became part of our union’s national convention, with some members of CUPE’s National Executive Board suggesting that I resign.

Because I respect the democracy of our union, I maintained then, as I do now, that the members should decide. Delegates to the national convention passed an emergency resolution strengthening our union’s support for Palestine and our call for a ceasefire, and I was proud to be re-elected by Ontario delegates as the General Vice-President from our region [...]

It’s why I’m both so sad and so angry. Trade unionists I have come to know and respect voted this week to overturn the democratic decisions of CUPE members. It is unprecedented in our union’s history and I’m worried countless CUPE members who are active in the Palestinian solidarity movement could be left more vulnerable and exposed by the precedent as they face similar situations as work [...]

I have always had faith in the members of CUPE Ontario and been proud of the faith they placed in me by repeatedly, and democratically, electing me at both the provincial and national level. There is much work to be done – and because I respect the democracy of our union, the choice of our members, I will be here to continue to fight side by side with all of you.”

CUPE National has since acknowledged that it cannot oust Hahn over his social media post and must respect the democratic decision of the union members who elected him.

Yet the union’s previous decision to publicly call for Hahn’s resignation had already added fuel to the fire of pro-Israeli political backlash.

Rosie DiManno, in an opinion piece in the Toronto Star, repeatedly characterized Hahn as an antisemite and called on CUPE National to “kick him to the curb,” despite the democratic will of CUPE members. Marcus Gee in The Globe and Mail claimed that “Canadian Jews are facing a wave of hate unlike any they have seen in decades,” before calling for Hahn’s removal, lest he “further divide the union movement.” The National Post was also quick to report that the “CUPE boss” refused to heed the Board’s call and resign.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), meanwhile, launched a campaign calling for CUPE to disregard union democracy and fire Hahn if he didn’t resign. “What began as a troubling trend in 2010 when Hahn was first elected President, has now escalated into a full-blown crisis that must be dealt with – immediately. Under his watch, the union has become a breeding ground for radicalization and extremism, affecting both workplaces and campuses,” CIJA wrote.

Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center For Holocaust Studies (FSWC) also said it “commends” CUPE National, and reiterated the call for Hahn’s ouster.

Perhaps most consequentially, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he applauds CUPE National’s decision to request Hahn’s resignation and later called the union leader a “bully” and a “disgusting human being” during a press conference. Previously, Ontario Minister of Labour David Piccini had confronted Hahn at a conference and told him to resign.

In response to these various attacks, CUPE National issued its own statement indicating that they “do not take advice from a union-hating, public service-gutting Premier trying to distract from his own scandals and track record.” The release further clarified that the union executive made the decision to ask for Hahn’s resignation before calls from Ford and Piccini were made, and that CUPE National continues to call for “an immediate and permanent ceasefire; a release of all hostages from Gaza; and an end to the blockade of Gaza and the restoration of humanitarian aid [and for] the Government of Canada to suspend the sale of arms and military equipment to Israel as it committed to doing in March 2024.”

At the time, however, the national body’s statement did not indicate that it was reversing its decision to ask for Hahn’s resignation. Moreover, having already contributed to the right-wing, pro-Israel pile-on, this palliative statement could do little to reverse the onslaught.

Luckily, much of the labour movement has come to Hahn’s aid and shown solidarity, both with the CUPE Ontario president and, more importantly, with Palestinians.

Perhaps most impressively, a petition sponsored by Labour for Palestine calling on CUPE’s National Executive Board to reverse its decision to ask Hahn to step down has garnered nearly 200,000 signatures.

In a defence of Hahn published by Rabble and later republished by the American socialist magazine Monthly Review, Judy Rebick referred to the CUPE Ontario leader as “the most effective and consistent labour leader I have ever known.”

In the article, Rebick recounts Hahn’s consistent solidarity with a myriad of worker, student and social struggles over the years. As many in the Ontario labour movement can attest to, Hahn is a fixture at every progressive demonstration — and certainly CUPE picket lines — throughout the Greater Toronto Area and beyond. As Rebick put it, “As President of CUPE Ontario, he is present at every picket line, every protest of any significance on a range of struggles from Palestine to pro-choice.”

Rebick did not mince words when it came to CUPE National’s request for Hahn to step down: “The request from CUPE National asking Fred to resign is a serious attack not only on freedom of speech and democracy but on the very essence of union solidarity.”

At the same time, a vocal minority of members in CUPE may prove challenging. A group of 80 Jewish CUPE members has filed a human rights complaint against Hahn and CUPE Ontario over alleged antisemitism. This group is represented by management-side employment lawyer Kathryn Marshall, whose connections with the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party previously landed her a spot on the Ford government’s “Ontario Workforce Recovery Advisory Committee” in 2021, which later made a series of recommendations to carve gig workers out of full employment protections.

CUPE Local 2974, a local representing municipal workers in Windsor-Essex, has been vocal as part of this opposition to Hahn’s Palestinian solidarity. The president of the union told CBC that his local has considered “formally disaffiliating” from CUPE Ontario.

A small group calling itself the “Canadian Jewish Labour Committee” has recently formed to “raise awareness about antisemitism with the Labour movement.” Though the group has few followers on Twitter, it has already begun to receive favourable media coverage as the attacks on Hahn continue.

Such internal opposition seems hardly to represent the will of the majority, however. As Spring Magazine reports, only five CUPE locals have come out in support of the National’s decision to call for Hahn’s removal, and these are small locals, some of which are not affiliated to the Ontario federation.

On the other hand, many other CUPE locals, particularly those representing members at universities, have spoken out forcefully in solidarity with Hahn. For example, CUPE 1281 at Carleton University issued a statement in support of Hahn and in opposition to the National Board request for him to resign. “The CUPE 1281 Executive calls on the NEB to overturn the motion to call for Fred’s resignation and to work to rectify the situation we find ourselves in where anti-worker media and politicians are reveling in our division,” the local president said.

Furthermore, as I previously wrote, growing sections of the labour movement are taking up the cause of Palestinian solidarity and pushing their unions in progressive directions.

Jewish groups opposed to Israel’s war have also come to Hahn’s defence. Jews Say No To Genocide released a particularly strong statement on August 22, which read in part: “As the democratically elected President who rank and file members gave another mandate in May of this year, we believe that Fred Hahn is best positioned to speak for CUPE Ontario–not the CUPE bureaucrats calling for his resignation. Hahn has a demonstrated record of commitment to fighting the actual roots of antisemitism that pose a threat to Jews — white supremacy and white nationalism, fascism, and the rise of the far-right are what make Jews unsafe, not criticism of the state of Israel or solidarity with Palestinians. We know that it is through a commitment to solidarity among marginalised groups, which Hahn consistently demonstrates, that Jews will be safe, rather than unwavering allegiance to a genocidal state.”

Independent Jewish Voices Canada has similarly expressed solidarity with Hahn.

Make no mistake, these attacks on Hahn — like all those that have taken place since Israel launched its war on Gaza last October — are aimed at silencing Palestinian solidarity and dividing the labour movement. Such attacks must be resisted by rank and file union members.

Furthermore, union autonomy and democracy must be protected. Hahn has led CUPE Ontario for 14 years, and has been re-elected multiple times, including again in May of this year. Thankfully, it is not for right-wing pundits and politicians to decide who union members choose to represent their interests. That CUPE National recognizes this too is a step in the right direction.

All those who believe in a strong labour movement that champions international solidarity should stand with Hahn.

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