International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) represents nearly 42,000 employees across four units within the UC system: Academic Student Employees, Academic Researchers, Postdoctoral Scholars, and Graduate Student Researchers.
UAW and UC last negotiated a contract in 2022; two of the units’ contracts expire in 2025, and the other two in 2027.
UC statements 2024
June 27
UAW Strike Formally Ends; Breach of Contract Case Will Continue in Superior Court
The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) agreed to extend the temporary restraining order that ended the strike that began last month. The University of California’s breach of contract case against UAW is ongoing.
- Strike Officially Over: Both parties agreed to extend a temporary restraining order (TRO) through June 30. Since UAW had only authorized the strike through June 30, this extension signifies a formal end to the strike. In light of this agreement, the hearing on the preliminary injunction that was previously scheduled for June 27 is no longer necessary.
- Contract Dispute Continues: The underlying lawsuit regarding the breach of contract will proceed in Superior Court. The next hearing on the case will be on Nov. 8.
- Unfair Labor Practice Charges Under Review: Separate unfair labor practice (ULP) charges filed by both the University and the UAW related to activities in May and the UAW’s strike will continue to be reviewed by the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB).
“While we are relieved this strike is over, we continue to seek clarity that our no-strike clauses are enforceable and that we can rely on our contracts to provide labor peace through the term of our agreements, supporting UC’s ability to provide critical academic and research services to our community,” said Missy Matella, associate vice president of Systemwide Employee and Labor Relations.
June 7
Media Contact: media@ucop.edu
Court Orders UAW Strike to End Across UC Campuses
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.
June 5
Media Contact: media@ucop.edu
UC Sues UAW Over Breach of Contract
In order to ensure that it can meet its commitments to its students, patients and campus community, the University of California filed a lawsuit today against UAW, the labor union striking across UC campuses in violation of their contract. The suit asks the state to issue a temporary restraining order to UAW to immediately end a strike on UC campuses.
“The blatant breach of the parties’ no-strike clauses by UAW will continue to cause irreversible harm to the University as it will disrupt the education of thousands of students in the form of canceled classes and delayed grades,” said Melissa Matella, associate vice president for Systemwide Labor Relations. “The breach of contract also endangers life-saving research in hundreds of laboratories across the University and will also cause the University substantial monetary damages.”
The filing notes that UAW bargaining unit members have refused to teach classes, lead discussion sections, conduct research, or otherwise perform their job duties on the striking campuses. It also describes the wide-ranging impacts on the UC system:
- Individuals carrying UAW picket signs have also blocked egress and ingress to various University buildings and access points, including hospitals and childcare centers.
- For example, individuals carrying UAW picket signs have blocked key access points at UC Santa Cruz, causing extreme disruption to its operations.
- Individuals carrying UAW picket signs have stormed and barricaded themselves into buildings at UCLA.
- Also, at UCLA, individuals carrying UAW picket signs have blocked streets, parking lots, and loading docks, preventing access by the community.
UC has stated that the strike is about political and social issues, not terms of employment and issues related to labor.
The filing states that “UAW members individually advocating for the vote understood that the strike was to support UAW’s political and social position. One noted the international focus of the strike and made clear that the vote was about divestment and Palestine. Another pushed their department to vote for the strike stating, “[T]he top demand that matters here is disinvestment. This is about Palestine first and our ability to work comfortably at UC second.” UAW has stated that it will expand its strike systemwide by the finals period, which is early to mid-June for most of the University’s campuses.
“Without immediate injunctive relief, the University will suffer irreparable harm to its operations, as well as the educational experience and academic progress of its students,” the filing notes.
June 3
Media Contact: media@ucop.edu
PERB Refuses to Take Immediate Action to Stop Unlawful Strike – Complaint against UAW is Still Pending
The state Public Employment Relations Board refused to take action today to end the UAW strike across UC campuses immediately.
“We are disappointed that the state agency dedicated to the oversight of public employment could not take decisive and immediate action to end this unlawful strike – a decision that harms UC’s students who are nearing the end of their academic year,” said Melissa Matella, Associate Vice President for Systemwide Labor Relations. While PERB has not agreed to act immediately through an injunction, it has issued a complaint against UAW about its strike.
UC will file a breach of contract action against UAW in state court as a next step.
“Now that UC has exhausted the PERB process for injunctive relief, UC will move to state court and is hopeful for quick and decisive action so that our students can end their quarter with their focus on academics,” Matella said.
Concurrently with state action, PERB is still charged with reviewing Unfair Labor Practices (ULPs). PERB has issued a complaint against UAW based on UC’s ULP. On Friday, UC responded to the UAW’s ULP. PERB is still reviewing and has not issued a complaint against the University.
May 31
Media Contact: media@ucop.edu
We are disheartened that UAW continues publicly escalating its unlawful strike in violation of its contracts’ no-strike clause and encouraging its members to disrupt and harm the ability of our students to navigate finals and other critical year-end activities successfully. UAW’s goal to “maximize chaos and confusion” has come to fruition, creating substantial and irreparable impacts on campuses and impacting our students at a crucial time of their education. We are hopeful PERB will intervene and ask the court to end this precedent-setting, unlawful action.
May 29
Media Contact: media@ucop.edu
UC Files Amended Request for Injunctive Relief; Cites New Evidence of Irreparable Harm
The University of California (UC) filed an amended request for injunctive relief today, asking the state Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) to ask a court to end the UAW strike across UC campuses immediately.
The submission follows PERB’s allowance for UC to present further evidence regarding the adverse effects of the UAW strike. UC highlights recent evidence detailing how the ongoing strike has resulted in significant disruptions on campus, posing harm to students, faculty, and staff.
“Since the Union announced its unlawful strike vote, its members have forcibly occupied an academic building at UCLA and damaged it with graffiti, invaded classrooms where faculty and students were trying to learn, blocked roadways, and have refused to teach, conduct seminars, administer exams, among other duties that students rely on to complete their course work,” the new filing states.
The filing also notes that UAW members, or at least individuals operating under apparent authorization from UAW — have engaged in unlawful and dangerous activities under the guise of a strike. For example, individuals claiming to represent UAW hit a police officer over the head with a UAW sign, occupied an important academic building at UCLA, attempted to barricade its entrances, and left graffiti inside the building when they were finally dispersed. A few days later, individuals carrying UAW picket signs at UCLA unlawfully blocked roadways, forcing drivers to weave through people to escape the blockage. The same conduct has occurred at UC Santa Cruz, with UAW picketers and protesters blocking both entrances to UC Santa Cruz’s campus.
“The impact of this unlawful behavior on our students is substantial,” said Melissa Matella, Associate Vice President for Systemwide Labor Relations. “Allowing the strike to continue deprives students of access to crucial instructors as they prepare for finals and work to complete final projects. This instructional time can never be made up, nor can the impact of lost projects and exams.”
The University of California filed for injunctive relief with the state Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) today, seeking to enjoin UAW’s strike. Allowing the strike to continue will cause the University and its students irreparable harm — UAW members play a critical role in year-end activities like teaching, grading, and ongoing time-sensitive research.
UAW’s strike is unlawful because the goal is to pressure the University to concede to a list of politically motivated demands closely linked to the protests occurring across California and the nation. While the University continues to support free speech, lawful protests, and its community’s right to engage in the same, UAW is a labor union and its negotiations with the University must be tied to terms and conditions of employment and terms in the collective bargaining agreement. Further, the University has closed contracts with “no strikes” provisions for all UAW bargaining units that prohibit work stoppages during the term of the agreement.
UC reiterates our support for free speech and lawful protests and recognizes the seriousness of the concerns its community has raised about the conflict in the Middle East. The University has allowed — and will continue to allow — lawful protesting activities surrounding the conflict in the Middle East.
The University of California filed an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) with the state Public Employment Relations Board today, asking the state to order UAW 4811 and its bargaining unit members to cease and desist strike activity.
UAW authorized a potential strike on Wednesday and has stated action is imminent and would be designed to “maximize chaos and confusion” across the UC system. On May 17, UAW announced it asked its members at UC Santa Cruz to strike on Monday, May 20. UC’s filing asks PERB to issue a cease and desist to UAW from engaging in any current strike activities and refrain from future strikes violating the no-strike provision in its collective bargaining agreements.
“Given UAW’s publicly stated position and the subsequent potential impacts on our students and campuses, we are forced to take decisive action to ensure we can continue to fulfill our fundamental missions of teaching, research and public service,” said Melissa Matella, Associate Vice President for Systemwide Labor Relations.
Each of UAW’s four systemwide bargaining units with UC state: The UAW, on behalf of its officers, agents and members, agrees that there shall be no strikes, including sympathy strikes, stoppages or interruptions of work, or other concerted activities which interfere directly or indirectly with University operations during the life of this agreement or any written extension thereof. The UAW, on behalf of its officers, agents, and members, agrees that it shall not in any way authorize, assist, encourage, participate in, sanction, ratify, condone, or lend support to any activities in violation of this article.
“We respect and value a productive working relationship with our labor unions,” Matella added. “We collaborate regularly to reach mutually beneficial agreements around employment terms. We have and continue to hope that UAW will honor the terms of our contracts.”
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