Shurat HaDin-Israel Law Center, the Tel Aviv-based human-rights organization, has filed a “Charge” with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), accusing the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) of violating the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) which prohibits labor unions from encouraging workers to take part in boycotts during the course of their work duties.

In mid-August, at its national convention in Baltimore, UE passed a resolution that it claims addresses Israel's alleged long history of violating the human rights of Palestinians. The resolution calls on the U.S. to end aid to Israel and to support "a peace settlement on the basis of self-determination for Palestinians" and the right of return. The resolution also endorsed the BDS movement and encouraged the union “at all levels to become engaged in BDS.”

Shurat HaDin is seeking injunctive relief against the UE to prevent it from engaging in these unfair labor practices, which single out and discriminate against Israelis and Israeli companies.

The Charge, signed by attorneys David Abrams of New York and Nitsana Darshan-Leitner of Tel-Aviv, advises the NLRB that the ultimate goal of the BDS Movement is to put an end to the existence of the Jewish State. While “cast as a human rights effort,” the complaint states, the BDS Movement “makes no attempt to boycott countries or entities which hang homosexuals; torture political opposition; or deny voting rights to their citizenry...

Instead the BDS Movement remains lock-focused on Israel exclusively,” with prominent supporters having “admitted that their goal is to put an end to the Jewish State.”

Most significantly, the UE’s resolution urges its members to “become engaged in BDS” at all levels. The UE boasts that it is the first U.S. national union to endorse the worldwide boycott-divestment-sanctions movement against Israel.

Shurat HaDin maintains that by aligning itself with the BDS Movement through its recent resolution, the UE is running afoul of NLRA Section 8(b)(4)(i)(B), which provides that “It shall be an unfair labor practice for a labor organization or its agents... to induce or encourage any individual employed by any person engaged in commerce… to engage in… a refusal in the course of his employment to use, manufacture, process, transport… or to perform any services... where... an object thereof is... forcing or requiring any person... to cease doing business with any other person.”

“It is a violation of American labor law for the union to encourage its members to cease doing business with Israelis and Israeli companies. The UE needs to decide whether it wants to be a discriminatory hate group targeting Jewish companies or a respected union representing the best interests of its members. We are insisting the NLRB take immediate action against the UE,” stated Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, Director of the Israel Law Center.

The UE, a national labor union representing some 35,000 workers across the United States in a variety of industries, promotes itself as a labor organization that protects the rights of all workers “regardless of craft, age, sex, nationality, race, creed or political beliefs,” language that appears in the Union’s constitution. Clearly that doesn’t include the Jewish State.

Ronn Torossian is an entrepreneur & author.