California public university academics end pro-Palestinian strike under court order
- In Reports
- 01:28 PM, Jun 11, 2024
- Myind Staff
Thousands of academic workers from the University of California who participated in a strike across six campuses to protest administrators' handling of pro-Palestinian demonstrations have returned to work on Monday following a court order. However, their union has pledged to continue with further protests.
On Friday, a judge from the Orange County Superior Court granted a temporary restraining order requested by the university. The university argued that the walkout was related to non-labour issues and violated the no-strike clause in the union's contract.
University officials initially approached the California Public Employment Relations Board, but the panel twice turned down their requests for an injunction. Unionized academic researchers, graduate teaching assistants, and post-doctoral scholars went on strike, citing what they perceived as unfair labour practices in the university's management of pro-Palestinian protests in recent weeks.
The work stoppage was organized by the United Auto Workers union Local 4811, which represents some 48,000 non-tenured academic employees across 10 UC campuses and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
The protest strike commenced on May 20 at the UC Santa Cruz campus and later expanded over the following two weeks to include UCLA, UC Davis near Sacramento, and campuses in San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Irvine. These six campuses collectively represent approximately 31,500 UAW members. The UC system consists of a total of 10 campuses.
Continuation of the strike "would have caused irreversible setback to the students' academic achievements and may have stalled critical research projects in the final quarter," Melissa Matella, UC's associate vice president for labour relations, said in a statement welcoming the restraining order.
Judge Randall Sherman scheduled a hearing for June 27 to consider arguments regarding the potential extension of the injunction. The union's strike authorisation is set to expire on June 30. Leaders of UAW 4811 criticised the ruling, stating that the judge overstepped the authority of the Employment Relations Board by intervening in a labour issue beyond the court's jurisdiction. Despite this, the union stated that its members were complying with the court order. The UAW indicated that it would concentrate its efforts on an upcoming grievance proceeding against the university.
In addition to other requests, the union is advocating for amnesty for graduate students and other academic workers who were arrested or are facing disciplinary action for their involvement in campus protests against Israel's military actions in Gaza. This strike represented the initial union-supported demonstration in solidarity with the increased pro-Palestinian student activism observed on numerous U.S. campuses in recent months.
The UAW said it was planning additional protests at UC Davis on Tuesday and at UCLA on Wednesday.
Union leaders have stated that a significant motivation for the strike was the arrest of 210 individuals, including graduate students employed by the campus, during a Palestinian solidarity protest camp dismantled by police at UCLA on May 2. The encampment and its occupants were attacked by masked assailants wielding sticks and clubs the previous night, leading to a violent confrontation that lasted for at least three hours before police intervened to restore order.
Image source: Reuters
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