Los Angeles Teachers Union Break With Pro-Israel Lawmakers, Signal New Red Line on Gaza
In a rare and consequential move, the United Teachers of Los Angeles voted to withhold political endorsements from members of Congress who supported sending weapons to Israel, marking one of the strongest labor rebukes yet tied to the war in Gaza.
Los Angeles’ largest teachers union is drawing a sharp political line—one that could reverberate well beyond Southern California.
On December 17, the governing body of the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) approved a motion instructing the union to withhold endorsements from any candidate for public office who voted in Congress to send weapons to Israel. UTLA represents roughly 35,000 educators and is one of the most politically influential labor unions in the country.
The motion’s rationale, presented to school-site leaders in UTLA’s House of Representatives, was explicit and uncompromising:
“Politicians should not be rewarded for enabling a genocide nor for perpetuating Israel’s periodic bombing attacks on Palestinians.”
The vote positions UTLA among the most prominent U.S. labor organizations to formally link electoral support to opposition against U.S. military aid to Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
A Local Vote With National Implications
UTLA is the largest local affiliate of the California Teachers Association (CTA), which represents more than 310,000 educators statewide. In a reliably Democratic state like California—where Vice President Kamala Harris defeated Donald Trump 58.5% to 38.3% in 2024, and 70% to 26.5% in Los Angeles County—union endorsements can play a decisive role in primary races and down-ballot contests.
Labor strategists say UTLA’s stance could also influence the National Education Association (NEA), the nation’s largest teachers union with nearly three million members, to reassess its own endorsement criteria.
Some Democratic organizers have argued that frustration over U.S. policy toward Gaza—and the perception that party leaders ignored grassroots opposition—may have contributed to Democratic losses in seven swing states in 2024. UTLA’s vote reflects a growing willingness within parts of organized labor to challenge that status quo directly.
“Scholasticide” and the Teachers’ Moral Argument
The motion passed by a 56% to 44% vote in UTLA’s House of Representatives after first receiving approval from both the union’s Human Rights Committee and Raza Educators Committee, signaling strong support among educators of color and activists within the union.
The resolution was authored by Marc Wutschke, a former UTLA board member, and Kathleen Hernandez, a retired professor and longtime antiwar organizer.
Wutschke said the measure is meant to push the broader labor movement to confront what educators see as a direct assault on education itself.
“Our motion will encourage other teachers unions and the labor movement as a whole to reject candidates who vote for genocide and scholasticide—the destruction of educational systems through the bombing of schools, colleges, and libraries,” Wutschke said.
He pointed specifically to Gaza, where Israeli airstrikes have repeatedly hit civilian infrastructure, including educational institutions.
“As teachers, we are mobilizing our power to stop this ongoing genocide,” he added. “Israel continues to violate the ceasefire, bomb civilians, block aid trucks, and even deny basic supplies like paper and pencils to Gaza’s schoolchildren.”
A Shift in How Teachers Use Political Power
For decades, teachers unions have been among the Democratic Party’s most reliable institutional allies, often prioritizing education funding, labor rights, and public services over foreign policy issues.
UTLA’s vote represents a notable shift: using endorsement power not just to support domestic policy goals, but to impose moral accountability on U.S. foreign policy.
Union leaders say the resolution does not endorse any particular party or candidate—but instead establishes a principle: that votes enabling mass civilian harm abroad are incompatible with educators’ values at home.
As the war in Gaza continues and debates over U.S. military aid intensify, UTLA’s decision underscores a growing reality inside Democratic politics: organized labor, long treated as a dependable base, is increasingly willing to dissent—publicly and electorally.
For now, Los Angeles teachers have made their position clear. Whether others follow may help shape the political consequences of U.S. policy on Gaza in the election cycles ahead.
(with information from commondreams.com)
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