A California judge has granted a temporary restraining order to prevent a popular Los Angeles-based charter chain, the Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, from activities apparently designed to prevent its teachers from trying to unionize.
The state public labor-relations board requested the injunction while it processes four labor complaints on behalf of United Teachers Los Angeles. (Background to this interesting situation here and here.)
Among other things, the judge’s order says that the Alliance “must not ask certificated employees about their positions or intention regarding unionization and/or collective bargaining,” cannot “coerce or threaten to impose reprisals” against employees engaging in organizing, and cannot “deny or block” e-mails from the teachers’ union. It also requests administrators to stay at least 100 feet away from UTLA organizers.
The TRO language was agreed to by Alliance attorneys. But the group has denied charges of intimidation, saying it was merely providing information about unionization.