ALAA acknowledges “inappropriate” communications, agrees to executive board training and limits on bringing charges against union members Washington, D.C. (November 13, 2025) – Today, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law announced a settlement agreement in its lawsuit against the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys (ALAA), UAW Local 2325, brought on behalf of three union members who sued to block an anti-Israel resolution proposed just weeks after the October 7, 2023, attack which was widely condemned as anti-Semitic by several legal non-profits. Under the agreement, the ALAA agreed to pay plaintiffs $315,000 in monetary damages and acknowledged “inappropriate” communication. The ALAA also agreed to implement mandatory training on union members’ rights under the federal Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA), and refer all disciplinary charges brought against members to the union’s outside counsel for review. In their federal court complaint, plaintiffs described being targeted as “snitches,” “losers,” “disgusting,” “dictators in training,” and “Zionist ghouls” in the ALAA’s internal discussion boards. Plaintiffs further cited attacks on opponents of the resolution which were infused with an irrational, consuming hatred of the Jewish state and its supporters: “You keep talking about ‘Jewish babies being murdered,’ and women being raped, you’re simply spreading lies and misinformation. There is no proof or substantiation.” “We are seeing an increasing trend in labor union anti-Semitism, much as we have seen a similar increase on college campuses. In both cases, there is bitter irony,” said the Hon. Kenneth L. Marcus, chairman of the Brandeis Center and the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education who ran the Office for Civil Rights. “Colleges are supposed to be islands of reason and tolerance. Labor unions are supposed to be advocates for social justice and workplace equality. To find the oldest hatred in such places is deeply antithetical to their mission. This settlement is a landmark in the fight against anti-Semitism in this sector. I am gratified by this outcome and resolved to support Jewish workers at any union around the country that is seeing this problem arise. Based on what we are hearing around the country, there will be more of these cases coming.” This settlement comes following a United States District Court for the Southern District of New York ruling that federal labor law claims brought by union members against the ALAA could proceed, rejecting the ALAA’s motion to dismiss. In addition, this past March, UAW’s own and highest adjudicatory body, the Public Review Board, nullified the ALAA’s expulsion charges as violative of the UAW constitution. “We’re happy for our clients, and for the precedent this settlement establishes for Jewish and allied union members across the country laboring against an obsessive focus on demonizing Israel and Jews, instead of a focus on fighting for better wages, benefits and working conditions,” said the Hon. Rory Lancman, Director of Corporate Initiatives & Senior Counsel at the Brandeis Center, who led the prosecution of plaintiffs’ claims. “Their anti-Israel fanaticism has gotten these publicly funded legal aid lawyers rebuked by a federal court, their own employers, and the UAW itself, so hopefully now they’ll devote their time, energy, and our tax dollars to focusing on their clients.” The Brandeis Center maintains an active roster of cases representing those experiencing anti-Semitism in their professional environment. The Brandeis Center is currently prosecuting claims against a different chapter of this union before the federal National Labor Relations Board and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for abandoning its Jewish members who have complained of a toxic work environment festooned with anti-Israel propaganda. The Brandeis Center has previously pushed Adobe and Microsoft to treat their Jewish employees equally, resulting in the creation of Jewish Employee Resource Groups at both companies. The Brandeis Center also recently formed a new public interest litigation group, The Center for Legal Innovation (CLI), to litigate all forms of anti-Semitism, such as anti-Semitism that occurs in such sectors as unions, the workplace, housing, healthcare, public accommodations, government services, academia, and corporations. Advisory board members include U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr, Solicitor General Paul Clement, and renowned litigators Davida Brook, Brad Karp, Thomas McCarthy, Jason Torchinsky and Erik Jaffe.