California university academics and pro-Palestine strike, resume work

Photo : AP

An Orange County Superior Court judge granted a temporary restraining order late Friday, in response to the university's claim that the strike violated the no-strike clause in the union's contract and was based on non-labor issues.

Thousands of University of California academic workers, who initiated a strike at six campuses protesting the administration's handling of pro-Palestinian protests, returned to work on Monday under court order. The strike, organized by the United Auto Workers union Local 4811, represented around 48,000 non-tenured academic employees across 10 UC campuses.

The strike began at UC Santa Cruz on May 20 and expanded to UCLA, UC Davis, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Irvine over the following weeks. The UC system has a total of 10 campuses, with approximately 31,500 UAW members at the six affected campuses.

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Melissa Matella, UC's associate vice president for labor relations, welcomed the restraining order, stating that the continuation of the strike would have negatively impacted students' academic progress and research projects.

Judge Randall Sherman scheduled a hearing for June 27 to consider extending the injunction, while the union's strike authorization expires on June 30. UAW 4811 leaders criticized the ruling, arguing that the judge overstepped his authority, but stated that members would comply with the court order.

The union's demands include amnesty for grad students and other workers arrested or disciplined for their involvement in protests against Israel's military actions in Gaza. The strike, a response to increased pro-Palestinian activism on U.S. campuses, is slated to continue with planned protests at UC Davis and UCLA in the coming days.

A significant catalyst for the strike was the arrest of over 200 individuals, including grad students, during the dismantling of a Palestinian solidarity protest camp at UCLA on May 2, following a violent confrontation with masked assailants armed with sticks and clubs.