Judge Orders Pro-Palestinian Employees at University of California to Pause Strike

Pro-Palestinian employees from the University of California (UC) were ordered by a judge to pause a strike over the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.

Judge Randall J. Sherman with the Orange County Superior Court issued a ruling granting a temporary restraining order on Friday. Sherman’s order came a few days after the university issued a press release announcing that it was suing UAW, a labor union representing thousands of UC workers on strike.

“A Superior Court judge today granted a temporary restraining order to the University of California, temporarily halting the illegal systemwide strike by UAW-represented employees across campuses,” the university said in its statement on Friday.

In Sherman’s ruling, he wrote that the defendant, “UAW, their agents, employees, representatives, officers, organizers, committee persons, stewards, members, and all corporations, unincorporated associations, and natural persons acting in concert and participation with any of them,” should be “enjoined and restrained from” participating in a strike.

Sherman went on to order:

That a Temporary Restraining Order be granted, enjoining and restraining Defendant UAW, its agents, employees, representatives, officers, organizers, committee persons, stewards, and members, and all persons acting in concert with them or any of them, until the hearing upon an Order to Show Cause, from doing or causing to be done any of the acts prayed in paragraph 1 of this prayer to be enjoined or restrained[.]

In a press release from UC on Wednesday, the university stated that the ongoing strike from UAW would “continue to cause irreversible harm to the University as it will disrupt the education” of students.

“The blatant breach of the parties’ no-strike clauses by UAW will continue to cause irreversible harm to the University as it will disrupt the education of thousands of students in the form of canceled classes and delayed grades,” Melissa Matella, the associate vice president of Systemwide Labor Relations said in the press release. “The breach of contract also endangers life-saving research in hundreds of laboratories across the University and will also cause the University substantial monetary damages.”

A strike began on May 20 at the University of California Santa Cruz location, supported by the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) 4811. The labor union reportedly represents roughly 48,000 workers.

Since then the strike has spread to several campuses such as Los Angeles and San Diego, according to the Associated Press.

In the press release from Wednesday, the university mentioned that “UAW bargaining united members have refused to teach classes, lead discussion sections, conduct research, or otherwise perform their job duties on the striking campuses.”

The labor union’s demands have consisted of calling for the amnesty of “academic employees, students, student groups, faculty, and staff” facing disciplinary action for anti-Israel protests, a “right to free speech and political expression on campus,” and the university to divest from “weapons manufacturers, military contractors” and other companies they feel have been profiting from the conflict between Israel and Hamas, according to City on a Hill Press.