Advancing American Freedom led an amicus brief with 36 other amici in Goldstein v. PSC/CUNY arguing that the right to free association includes the right to fully disassociate from a labor union and thus not to be represented by it. In this case, Jewish professors in the CUNY system are challenging the requirement that they be represented by the Professional Staff Congress (PSC), the mandated labor union for professors at CUNY. The PSC has engaged in anti-Israel and antisemitic speech supporting Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel and accusing Israel of apartheid. Naturally, several Jewish professors object to being represented in their employment negotiations by such a group.
“The ability to associate freely touches every part of political, social, and personal life. Who one marries, goes to church with, and allows to influence one’s children are all associational decisions protected by the First Amendment,” said AAF General Counsel J. Marc Wheat. “The fight of these Jewish professors not to be represented by a group that clearly hates Israel is a fight for the same right we all have to ensure that those around us or who speak on our behalf have our best interest at heart.”
Read the full brief here.
