§ 527.3.When Restraining Orders Or Injunctions Prevented In Labor Disputes

Title 7. Other Provisional Remedies In Civil Actions · Chapter 3. Injunction · Enacted 1975 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026

In one sentenceSection 527.3 limits California courts' power to enjoin peaceful picketing, publicity, and other lawful concerted activity arising from labor disputes, codifying a policy against judicial interference with collective bargaining and related mutual-aid activity among workers.

Full Text of § 527.3

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

(a) In order to promote the rights of workers to engage in concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining, picketing or other mutual aid or protection, and to prevent the evils which frequently occur when courts interfere with the normal processes of dispute resolution between employers and recognized employee organizations, the equity jurisdiction of the courts in cases involving or growing out of a labor dispute shall be no broader than as set forth in subdivision (b) of this section, and the provisions of subdivision (b) of this section shall be strictly construed in accordance with existing law governing labor disputes with the purpose of avoiding any unnecessary judicial interference in labor disputes.

(b) The acts enumerated in this subdivision, whether performed singly or in concert, shall be legal, and no court nor any judge nor judges thereof, shall have jurisdiction to issue any restraining order or preliminary or permanent injunction which, in specific or general terms, prohibits any person or persons, whether singly or in concert, from doing any of the following:

(1) Giving publicity to, and obtaining or communicating information regarding the existence of, or the facts involved in, any labor dispute, whether by advertising, speaking, patrolling any public street or any place where any person or persons may lawfully be, or by any other method not involving fraud, violence or breach of the peace.

(2) Peaceful picketing or patrolling involving any labor dispute, whether engaged in singly or in numbers.

(3) Assembling peaceably to do any of the acts specified in paragraphs (1) and (2) or to promote lawful interests.

(4) Except as provided in subparagraph (iv), for purposes of this section, "labor dispute" is defined as follows:

(i) A case shall be held to involve or to grow out of a labor dispute when the case involves persons who are engaged in the same industry, trade, craft, or occupation; or have direct or indirect interests therein; or who are employees of the same employer; or who are members of the same or an affiliated organization of employers or employees; whether such dispute is (a) between one or more employers or associations of employers and one or more employees or associations of employees; (b) between one or more employers or associations of employers and one or more employers or associations of employers; or (c) between one or more employees or associations of employees and one or more employees or associations of employees; or when the case involves any conflicting or competing interests in a "labor dispute" of "persons participating or interested" therein (as defined in subparagraph (ii)).

(ii) A person or association shall be held to be a person participating or interested in a labor dispute if relief is sought against him or it, and if he or it is engaged in the same industry, trade, craft, or occupation in which such dispute occurs, or has a direct or indirect interest therein, or is a member, officer, or agent of any association composed in whole or in part of employers or employees engaged in such industry, trade, craft, or occupation.

(iii) The term "labor dispute" includes any controversy concerning terms or conditions of employment, or concerning the association or representation of persons in negotiating, fixing, maintaining, changing, or seeking to arrange terms or conditions of employment regardless of whether or not the disputants stand in the proximate relation of employer and employee.

(iv) The term "labor dispute" does not include a jurisdictional strike as defined in Section 1118 of the Labor Code.

(c) Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to alter or supersede the provisions of Chapter 1 of the 1975-76 Third Extraordinary Session, and to the extent of any conflict between the provisions of this act and that chapter, the provisions of the latter shall prevail.

(d) Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to alter the legal rights of public employees or their employers, nor shall this section alter the rights of parties to collective-bargaining agreements under the provisions of Section 1126 of the Labor Code.

(e) It is not the intent of this section to permit conduct that is unlawful including breach of the peace, disorderly conduct, the unlawful blocking of access or egress to premises where a labor dispute exists, or other similar unlawful activity.

End

Plain-English Summary

Section 527.3 restricts how far a California court's injunctive power can reach into labor disputes. Subdivision (a) explains why: courts interfering with the ordinary give-and-take of labor negotiations tend to do more harm than good, so the statute narrows a court's equity jurisdiction in cases growing out of a labor dispute and requires that narrowing be read strictly.

Subdivision (b) does the real work. It declares a specific list of activities legal when done alone or with others, and strips courts of jurisdiction to enjoin any of them: publicizing or sharing information about a labor dispute (short of fraud, violence, or breach of the peace); peaceful picketing or patrolling connected to the dispute; and peaceably assembling to do either of those things or to otherwise pursue lawful interests. The statute defines "labor dispute" broadly, covering conflicts between employers and employees, between employers, or between employees, and between anyone with a direct or indirect interest in the same trade, craft, or occupation — though it excludes jurisdictional strikes as defined in the Labor Code.

The protection has real limits. Subdivision (e) makes clear the statute does not shield unlawful conduct — breach of the peace, disorderly conduct, unlawfully blocking access to a workplace, or similar illegal activity remains outside its protection. Subdivisions (c) and (d) also preserve certain other statutory schemes governing labor relations, so § 527.3 supplements rather than replaces the broader body of California and federal labor law.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a California court issue an injunction against peaceful picketing during a labor dispute?

No. Section 527.3(b)(2) strips courts of jurisdiction to enjoin peaceful picketing or patrolling connected to a labor dispute.

Does this section protect all conduct during a strike or labor dispute?

No. Section 527.3(e) makes clear it does not protect breach of the peace, disorderly conduct, unlawfully blocking access to a workplace, or other unlawful activity.

What counts as a "labor dispute" under this section?

Subdivision (b)(4) defines it broadly to include disputes between employers and employees, among employers, or among employees who share an interest in the same industry, trade, craft, or occupation, but it excludes jurisdictional strikes defined in the Labor Code.

Does § 527.3 override other labor relations statutes?

No. Subdivisions (c) and (d) preserve certain other statutory schemes, including provisions governing public employees and collective bargaining agreements under the Labor Code.

Amendment History

Added by Stats. 1975, Ch. 1156.

Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from the California Legislative Information. Enacted by the California Legislature. Last verified July 28, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: california labor dispute injunction statutepicketing injunction californialabor injunction restrictions california