Joint Solidarity Statement of USFFA, PTFA, OPEIU, SEIU Local 87, SEIU USWW, Unite Here Local 2, ALP, and the SF Labor Council
July 2020

This statement reflects the shared commitments and concerns of unionized workers at the University of San Francisco, as the university confronts the coronavirus pandemic and its effects on our mutual community.

We are committed to unity and solidarity across all bargaining units at USF. We will not allow ourselves to be divided by apparently competing interests. We will hold the university administration accountable for the decisions it makes.

We reaffirm the university’s mission. We stand together in supporting USF’s mission to provide the highest-quality education for our students and to “change the world from here.” To that end:

● We reaffirm social justice as a common objective among all university communities. Such a commitment is not easy to maintain in the best of circumstances. The university must not, under the financial and logistical pressures of the current moment, postpone responding to the needs of historically oppressed or marginalized members of USF. It is precisely these groups who have been most affected by pandemic and recession; their needs must not be put off until university life “returns to normal.”

● We are committed to principles of shared governance. It is our combined labor that makes USF a university; our combined wisdom must contribute to guiding it, through formal participation in decision-making bodies.

● We insist on full transparency of university actions, in particular full and frank financial disclosure.

We are committed to our members’ health, safety, and well-being. Specifically, we demand that USF:

● Act to protect all employees’ jobs to the fullest extent possible.

● Continue to offer access to affordable health care for USF community members who have been laid off, furloughed, or have lost teaching opportunities because of the pandemic.

● Protect the health and safety of all USF communities, by:

o Negotiating with all bargaining units the necessary conditions for a safe return to campus.

o Understanding and observing custodians’ recommendations for a safe re-opening

o Placing first priority on the protection of all USF community members, including workers and, of course, students.

Changing the world from here starts here. We believe that the future of USF as a Jesuit university committed to social justice depends on recognizing and implementing these solidarity principles.