A Superior Court judge today (June 7) granted the University of California a temporary restraining order, temporarily halting an illegal union-wide strike by UAW-represented employees across campuses.
The move comes after UC filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the UAW for breach of contract seeking injunctive relief. The UC and UAW have collective bargaining agreements that each contain no-strike clauses. UC employees representing the UAW began striking at UC Santa Cruz on May 20 and the strike has expanded to six of the 10 organized campuses.
« We are extremely grateful for the suspension of this strike so our students can complete their academic studies. This strike would have caused an irreversible setback to students' academic achievement and could have crippled important research projects during the final quarter, » said Melissa Mattella, Associate Systemwide Vice President of Labor Relations.
« From the beginning, we have been saying that the strike was illegal and a violation of our contracts, a violation of our mutually agreed clauses not to strike, » Madella added. Engaging in lawful free speech activities — ongoing organization-wide activities, the UAW's strike is unrelated to work regulations, violates the parties' agreements and is inconsistent with established labor policies. »
While this is an important victory for student success, the university will pursue its legal claims in state court and PERB to preserve labor peace throughout the system.
For more information on these issues and UC's position on them, visit https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/resources/employment-policies-contracts/negotiation-updates/uaw-news-and-updates/
