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 action comes after UC filed a lawsuit and requested injunctive relief Tuesday against UAW for breach of contract. UC and UAW have collective bargaining agreements that each have no-strike clauses. UAW-represented UC employees began striking on May 20 at UC Santa Cruz and the strike has expanded to six of the 10 systemwide campuses.
“We are extremely grateful for a pause in this strike so our students can complete their academic studies. The strike would have caused irreversible setbacks to students’ academic achievements and may have stalled critical research projects in the final quarter,” said Melissa Matella, associate vice president for Systemwide Labor Relations.
“From the beginning, we have stated this strike was illegal and a violation of our contracts’ mutually agreed upon no-strike clauses,” Matella added. “We respect the advocacy and progressive action towards issues that matter to our community and our community’s right to engage in lawful free speech activities — activities that continue to occur across the system. However, UAW’s strike is unrelated to employment terms, violates the parties’ agreements, and runs contrary to established labor principles.”
While this is an important victory critical to support student success, the University will continue to pursue its legal claims in state court and PERB to protect labor peace across the system.
