Professors across the state have accused the University of California system of waging a sweeping campaign to suppress pro-Palestinian speech and protests in violation of state labor laws.
The University of California Council of Faculty Associations said UC administrators have threatened professors for teaching the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and have initiated disciplinary proceedings against professors for supporting student encampments on campus as well as supporting a university student strike this spring.
The faculty group made the allegations in a 581-page complaint filed Thursday with the Public Employment Relations Board of California, which oversees relations among state public employees. The unfair labor practice charge was co-signed by faculty associations at seven UC campuses, including Los Angeles, Irvine, San Diego, Santa Cruz, Berkeley, Davis and San Francisco.
Faculty members gathered at UCLA at noon Thursday to announce the indictment. At the news conference, Constance Penley, president of the UC Council of Faculty Associations, described the university’s actions as a “relentless campaign to prevent faculty from exercising their academic freedom and to discourage them from teaching about the war in a way that is inconsistent with the university’s position.”
The professors were also investigated for pro-Palestinian posts on social media, arrested for exercising their right to free speech, and subjected to surveillance and intimidation by university officials, the filing said.
The pressure from faculty highlights how, months after police cleared pro-Palestinian encampments at universities, the fallout has continued on various campuses, with university officials implementing new protest rules and students grappling with continued suspensions and file freezes.
The professors’ accusations build on a complaint filed by the UCLA Faculty Association following attacks and mass arrests of students and faculty participating in a campus encampment in April and May. They echo similar allegations made by unions representing UC employees, including United Auto Workers Local 481, which represents university students, and the University Council-American Federation of Teachers, which represents 6,500 librarians and faculty in the university system.
The various charges, filed earlier this year with the state labor board, essentially allege that the university failed to maintain safe working conditions, ignored its employees’ free speech rights and illegally made changes to working conditions in response to campus protests.
The university is defending its decision. In response to a request for comment, UC spokeswoman Heather Hansen referred to a statement the university previously filed with the state labor board in response to the UCLA Faculty Association’s accusation.
The university said that while it “supports freedom of expression and lawful protest,” it must also “ensure that all members of its community can continue to study, work and exercise their rights safely, which is why it has implemented policies that regulate the time, place and manner of protest activities on its campuses.”
“The University has permitted – and continues to permit – lawful protests surrounding the Middle East conflict. But when protests violate University policy or threaten the safety of others, the University takes legal action to stop unacceptable and illegal behavior,” the university said.
The file details instances where the university allegedly investigated and disciplined professors.
Shortly after the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7 and the siege of Gaza began with Israeli bombings, the university began sending emails to professors threatening investigation and disciplinary action for teaching content outside the scope of their courses. In November, UC San Diego investigated two professors for teaching the history of the Palestinian territories, according to the filing. A UC Irvine faculty member received a “warning letter” from the administration for holding a vote on whether to hold classes in the campus encampment, with attendance optional.
In another example cited, a University of California, San Francisco, medical professor who gave a lecture in April on trauma-informed care at a health equity conference was banned from participating in future teaching activities after she spent about six minutes of a 50-minute class discussing the topic in relation to Palestinian health issues. A campus administrator informed the professor that he had received complaints that her presentation was “biased and anti-Semitic” and removed an online video of the presentation. The ban was eventually lifted, but the video remains offline.
The complaint states that “the university’s harsh crackdown on professors who express pro-Palestinian views stands in stark contrast to its treatment of pro-Israel professors.”
The university has declined to open a formal disciplinary investigation into a pro-Israel UC Irvine faculty member accused of harassing and physically intimidating an undergraduate student, despite video footage being provided of the faculty member “cornering, physically intimidating and interrogating a visibly frightened student,” according to the filing.
After an unfair labor practice complaint is filed, the Public Employee Relations Board will review and evaluate the case and decide whether to dismiss the complaint or ask the parties to negotiate a settlement. If no settlement is reached, the case will be scheduled for a formal hearing before an administrative law judge.
