Thousands of academic workers at the University of California have been ordered by a state judge to temporarily halt their strike over the war in Gaza. The strike, initiated by United Auto Workers Local 4811, represents 48,000 graduate students across the UC system who work as teaching assistants, tutors, researchers, and other academic employees. The strike began on May 20 in Santa Cruz and has since spread to other UC campuses.
The emergency restraining order was issued by Orange County Superior Court Judge Randall J. Sherman after UC lawyers argued that the strike would cause irreversible harm to students, particularly as they are approaching finals. The university system sued the union despite having competing unfair practice labor claims pending before the California Public Employment Relations Board.
The union claims that the strike is in protest of the treatment of its members, some of whom were arrested and forcibly removed by police during demonstrations calling for an end to the war in Gaza. However, UC officials assert that the strike is not related to employment terms and violates the union's contract.
Following the court order, Melissa Matella, associate vice president for labor relations, expressed gratitude, stating that the strike would have disrupted students' learning and potentially stalled critical research projects. The union leaders are currently surveying their members on how to proceed, emphasizing that the struggle is not over and questioning the legality of their actions.
Protests in support of Palestine have sparked tensions on various campuses, with demands for universities to cease business dealings with Israel or companies supporting its war efforts. Recent incidents at Stanford University involved protesters occupying the school president's office, resulting in arrests and vandalism both inside and outside the building.
