An Orange County Superior Court judge ordered Friday that academic employees at the University of California must halt their strikes on six campuses, saying students’ education could be affected by the strikes.
Teaching assistants, researchers and other graduate student workers are protesting their schools’ response to recent demonstrations over the Gaza conflict.
The unionized academic workers initially started their protests at UC Santa Cruz, but then expanded to UCLA and UC Davis last week. On Monday, workers began picketing at UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara, and on Wednesday UC Irvine joined the strike.
The university system has filed suit earlier this week, calling the protests over alleged violations of workers’ rights illegal because they violate a “no-strike” motif in labor contracts.
“We are extremely grateful for a pause in this strike so that our students can complete their academic studies,” Melissa Matella, UC associate vice president for Systemwide Labor Relations, said in a statement after Friday’s ruling.
Academic workers have been on strike in the form of ‘Stand Up’ demonstrations that began on May 20. They say their right to freedom of speech and expression in the workplace has been violated. Some were among those arrested at protests, while others faced disciplinary action from their schools, such as suspensions or bans from campus.
They asked for amnesty for workers arrested during protests, meaning they will not be convicted, nor face expulsions, suspensions or other disciplinary measures by the universities where they work.
UAW 4811 has argued that its strikes on UC campuses are legal. The union has also filed unfair labor practice charges with the NLRB against UC because the university has labeled their protests “unlawful.”
“Over the past month, UC has used and tolerated violence against workers and students peacefully protesting on campus for peace and freedom in Palestine,” Rafael Jaime, president of UAW Local 4811, said in a statement last week.
The UC system has rejected the union’s allegations, saying the union’s demands fall outside the scope of union labor issues. The university has also rejected calls for amnesty.
