Controversial union leader Fred Hahn has not resigned from his position as general vice-president and president of CUPE Ontario despite being asked to resign by Thursday at noon.
Hahn was asked to resign by CUPE’s national executive committee over a controversial anti-Israel post, saying they’ve lost their confidence in Hahn’s ability to represent his union’s members.
Hahn has recently come under fire for a video he uploaded to social media in which an Israeli athlete was depicted diving off of a diving board, spliced with a video of an Israeli bomb being dropped in Gaza before hitting the water.
CUPE Ontario and the national branch are separate entities.
Hahn is no stranger to controversial posts that have been labelled antisemitic by Jewish groups A day after the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack against Israel by Hamas, Hahn expressed gratitude for the “power of resistance” by workers around the world.
Hahn’s post, along with several other posts from CUPE became the basis for a human rights complaint by dozens of Jewish members of CUPE alleging antisemitism and systemic discrimination against Jews.
While CUPE initially denied the allegations of antisemitism, Hahn’s latest controversy has done the union no favours in its case before the human rights tribunal.
Kathryn Marshall, the attorney representing CUPE’s 80 Jewish members in the human rights complaint, expressed disgust for Hahn’s conduct and shared a letter from one of the complainants denouncing Hahn’s post.
“I was horrified to see the blatantly anti-Semitic vile, disgusting video he posted on Facebook showing an Al generated Jewish diver at the Olympics,” reads the statement.
“After years of trying to work with Fred to educate him, it is clearer than ever, he is not interested in including Jewish members as part of a safe space in CUPE. The harm he continues to cause is unrelenting and damaging to not only the Jewish members but to CUPE as a whole and the labour movement.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford applauded CUPE’s national executive’s call for Hahn to resign, calling Hahn a “disgusting human being.”
“I’m getting messages on my phone from CUPE members saying his comments have been disgusting. In my opinion, he’s a disgusting human being anyways,” said Premier Ford.
The growing controversy led to CUPE’s national executive to call for Hahn’s resignation.
“In light of a social media post made by Brother Fred Hahn on August 11, and the impact it has had on CUPE members and the national union, CUPE’s National Executive Board met on Tuesday and voted to ask Fred Hahn to resign as a General Vice President,” reads CUPE’s statement.
Irrespective of Hahn’s departure, Marshall says that she will continue to pursue the human rights complaint against CUPE.
“Hahn must resign but CUPE is ultimately responsible for the environment they have created where someone with his horrific views could thrive and hold leadership positions. Hahn is part of the problem, but CUPE must be held accountable for the years of discrimination,” said Marshall.
