Pro-Palestinian officials at the University of California (UC) have been ordered by a judge to suspend strikes over the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Randall J. Sherman Verdict Sherman issued the temporary restraining order on Friday. Her order came days after the university issued a press release. announcement The company is suing the UAW, the union that represents thousands of striking University of California workers.
“A superior court judge today issued a temporary injunction against the University of California, temporarily halting an illegal university-wide strike by UAW-represented employees across campus,” the university said in a statement. statement on friday.
Judge Sherman’s decision stated that the defendants — “the UAW, its agents, employees, representatives, officers, organizers, committee members, secretaries and members, and all corporations, unincorporated associations and natural persons acting in concert with or participating in any of them” — should be “enjoined and restrained” from participating in the strike.
Sherman continued with the command:
A temporary injunction is hereby entered enjoining Defendant UAW, its agents, employees, representatives, officers, organizers, committee members and members, and all persons acting in concert with them, from doing or compelling to do any of the acts sought to be enjoined or prevented in Paragraph 1 of this Petition, pending a hearing on an order to show cause.[.]
in press release The university said Wednesday that the UAW’s ongoing strike “will continue to disrupt students’ education and cause irreparable harm to the university.”
“The UAW’s blatant violation of the bipartisan no-strike clause will disrupt the education of thousands of students in the form of canceled classes and delayed grades and will continue to cause irreparable harm to the university,” Melissa Matera, vice chancellor for university-wide labor relations, said in a press release. “The breach of contract will jeopardize life-saving research taking place in hundreds of laboratories across the university and will result in significant financial damage to the university.”
The strike began at UC Santa Cruz on May 20, with the support of the international labor union, United Auto, Aerospace and Agricultural Machinery Workers (UAW) 4811, which reportedly represents approximately 48,000 workers.
Since then, the strikes have spread to several campuses, including in Los Angeles and San Diego. according to The Associated Press.
Pickets at University of California, Santa Cruz are entering their third day. #StandUpUC pic.twitter.com/O6hC7j9tKF
— UAW 4811 (@uaw_4811) May 22, 2024
“Members of the UAW bargaining unit have refused to teach classes, lead discussion sections, conduct research or perform other job duties on campus during the strike,” the university said in a press release on Wednesday.
The union’s demands include amnesty for “university employees, students, student organizations and faculty” who have been disciplined for anti-Israel protests, “freedom of speech and political expression on campus,” and the university’s divestment from “weapons manufacturers, military contractors” and other companies it believes profit from the Israel-Hamas conflict. City on a Hill Press.
