Chicago Federation of Labor criticized for racial bias against Arabs and Muslims
The Chicago Federation of Labor has a history of racial problems. And while it addresses some, it has failed to prevent racism against newer minorities, including against Arabs and Muslims, who have become a target in suburban communities like Orland Park.
By Ray Hanania
The premise of a labor “Union” is to play an important role in ensuring that workers’ rights are respected and employees receive the wages and benefits they deserve for the work they perform.
But in recent years, there has been growing criticism of the Chicago Federation of Labor, not just for its associations with corrupt politicians, but because of its resistance to diversity and inclusion, fighting in even the most innocuous moments against the hiring of Blacks, Hispanics, and in recent years, Arabs.
How many Arabs are there in the Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL), the umbrella organization for unions in Chicago, Illinois, US, and a subordinate body of the AFL–CIO?
Over the years, the African American community has strengthened its involvement in unions, and has the largest union membership of any other racial group, 11.8 percent according to a recent study. Union leaders have pandered to the perceptions of African Americans because in the Chicagoland region, Blacks have a significant vote that has become the basis of the Democratic Party.
But the issue of race and diversity has an ugly side that has grown over the years in the wake of tensions and conflicts in the Middle East, and a dramatic rise in anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias in America, including in the Chicagoland suburbs like in Orland Park where the Arab and Muslim population continues to grow. Click to read report from CAIR on growing Islamophobia.
The issue of anti-Arab racism surfaced in the recent elections in Orland Park with the CFL opposing slates that included Arabs, and increasing their public criticism of individuals working for local governments that are Arab or Muslim. Just before the election, former Mayor Keith Pekau launched into an anti-Arab rant when he told them to “go to another country” when they addressed the Orland Park board in February 2024. Click to get more info.
The CFL has a history of racial problems dating back to World War I, according to a UIUC dissertation completed in 2012 by David H. Bates. Click to read.
It took years for the CFL to correct those problems, creating pools of exceptions in later years for new minority groups like Arabs and Muslims who have been the target of union animosity over the years, including in the Chicago suburbs like in Orland Park.
In 2017, the head of the AFL-CIO, President Michael Carrigan, was criticized by local union leaders for his racist attacks against Hanah Jubeh, the Arab American political consultant. SEIU Local 1 President Tom Balanoff and the clout-heavy group’s secretary-treasurer, Laura Garza, blasted the AFL-CIO for the criticism, which was also founded in gender-based discrimination against women. Click to read more.
Carrigan argued his criticism was about Jubeh’s fundraising efforts as a consultant for the AFL-CIO.
The Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL) has faced growing criticism for several reasons, including its handling of racial issues, its political affiliations, and its impact on Chicago’s economy. Some historical criticisms point to the CFL’s limited ability to address racial discrimination within its ranks, while others focus on the organization’s support for certain political figures during times of controversy.
In its early years, the CFL was criticized for being dominated by corrupt labor leaders, like Martin “Skinney” Madden, who held multiple positions for life. This corruption was a major issue that the CFL had to address under subsequent leadership.
Additionally, the CFL’s refusal to endorse Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposed “mansion tax” raised concerns about its impact on Chicago’s economic development.
Mayor Johnson has been a strong supporter of the Arab American community, and the CFL’s attacks against Johnson apparently reflect that growing anti-Arab and anti-Muslim animosity.
The CFL’s decision not to endorse Mayor Johnson’s “mansion tax” proposal, which would have increased the real estate transfer tax on properties sold for $1 million or more, raised concerns about its potential impact on Chicago’s real estate market and overall economy. This decision was viewed as a blow to the mayor and a potential setback for his agenda.
Some scholars argue that the CFL, despite advocating for interracialism, was not truly antiracist and failed to create a union structure conducive to racially progressive organizing. This included the fact that white workers and union leaders prioritized class struggle over racial equality, leading to enmity instead of solidarity. Furthermore, linking union locals to neighborhoods created de facto segregation, undermining the union’s efforts towards racial equality.
Overall, the CFL’s history is marked by both successes and criticisms. While it has been a significant force in the Chicago labor movement, its approach to issues like race, political affiliations, and economic policy has drawn criticism from various perspectives. These criticisms highlight the challenges and complexities faced by labor unions in balancing their goals with the broader social and economic contexts in which they operate.
In recent years, the CFL has been behind personal attacks against this author (a Christian Arab whose mother is from Bethlehem), and the appointment of Arab Muslims to local government boards. Their list of Arab and Muslim targets continues to grow because it has never been called out before.
The pattern of alleged anti-Arab and anti-Muslim racism from the CFL is reflected in its management and lack of Arabs or Muslims in leadership roles, or advocacy for Arabs and Muslims in leadership roles in local governments where the union has exerted its influence.
One of the CFL’s members, Kamil Dziedzic may or may not be Muslim — he is of Polish heritage — but the CFL just can’t seem to spell his last name correctly on their website (Click here to see misspelling before it is corrected):
The animosity by the CFL has been recently expressed on Social Media, with attacks on Arab and Muslim activists and groups like All United and CAIR, the Council on American Islamic Relations.
Will this growing animosity by the CFL against Arabs and Muslims change? I doubt it, but the CFL will do everything it can to disguise it and temper it. They have already been scrubbing Union social media posts on Facebook.
There is a growing movement to demand new leadership at the CFL that not only includes “rhetoric” and “promises,” but real change with the appointment of Arabs and Muslims to its board and its open support of Arabs and Muslims to key positions in local governments, especially in Orland Park.
You can’t claim to be racially sensitive when you respect some races and discriminate against other races and religions.
The Chicago Federation of Labor’s lack of sensitivity and hostility towards Arabs and Muslims has to change. The only way to do it is to oust its existing racist leadership and replace it with leaders who are respectful to all races and religions, including to Arabs and Muslims.
The worst kind of racist is the one who claims to oppose racism as a cover to fuel racism against a targeted group. Jr.
That needs to change. But most politicians, who are receiving massive donations from PACs and lobbies, won’t change it.
Ray Hanania is an award-winning former Chicago City Hall reporter who has lived in Orland Park since 1986. He writes for many suburban Chicagoland newspapers including The Regional News, and is the Senior US Correspondent for Arab News Newspaper, the leading English Language newspaper in the Middle East. For more information on this and other topics, or to get information on subscribing to his columns and video podcasts below, visit his website at hanania.com. You can Email Ray at rghanania@gmail.com.
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