Duke administration has not acted in good faith. Today, negotiators denied workers the opportunity to join student protesters in today’s negotiations. Now, they refuse to continue discussions unless the occupiers leave the Allen building. Yet again, administration is showing that they only value the opinions of a few members of Duke’s community, and only when they are forced to by overwhelming media attention and campus support. By excluding workers from negotiations, Duke is demonstrating that they do not value the voices of the workers who are responsible for the day-to-day functioning of our university. The seven demands that Duke Students and Workers in Solidarity (DSWS) has made reflect the needs of workers in Parking and Transportation Services (PTS) as well as workers across Duke’s campus. Denying those who have been most affected by the discriminatory practices in PTS from having a seat at the table to share and discuss their experiences is unacceptable. DSWS is a coalition of students and workers, current and former. Workers are the ones most affected by the persistent racism and harassment embedded in Duke’s administration and management. The voices of workers must be centered in conversations regarding oversight, wages, and their treatment. Student occupiers refuse to negotiate without workers at the table.
Duke’s official statement states that they have “worked very hard with the students who currently occupy the Allen Building to enable productive discussions, including providing amnesty to the nine students in the building and offering solutions to several of their demands.” This statement is dishonest. They have negotiated on the original seven demands for less than a full day, and only two of seven demands were discussed. Last night’s amnesty was only a concession in response to community pressure; it was not granted because they desired to engage in honest and thoughtful negotiations. During the entirety of this process, administration has continued to be inconsistent: they have threatened students with arrest, expulsion, and suspension and later implied that that was not true; they have stationed security at the doors of the Allen building; they have blocked media from campus and then invited them later for a press conference; and they have remained vague and changed the conditions of the agreement. From the beginning, DSWS has been consistent in our demands. Administrators continue to be confused about what we are working towards.
The implication that the occupation is not peaceful and has disrupted the normal functioning of the Allen Building is completely untrue. In a statement from last night, the university said “While these discussions continue, the Allen Building will be closed for all regular business on Monday, April 4, so that the university can ensure the safety of individuals on campus.” Who is unsafe here?
The decision to close the Allen Building was made by Duke. At no time did DSWS request, suggest, or demand that the Allen Building be shut down for any purpose or reason. DSWS continues to reiterate that closing down the Allen building is unnecessary. Faculty and administrators can easily access their offices and meeting spaces. There is no reason for classes to cancelled or even moved to another location. Duke’s administration is simply choosing to close the Allen building in order to disrupt classes and cast our campaign in a negative light. In fact, students are only occupying the administrative part of a single level of the Allen Building, and their presence does not disrupt classes or any other functions of the Allen Building. Indeed, not only has security been posted by every entrance, but they have also been posted inside so that occupiers cannot even enter the rest of the building.
The administration’s attempt to blame occupiers for restricting access to the Allen building is a clear attempt by the University to distract all of us from the issues at hand: the workers’ abuse that they are allowing to continue.
The individual act of racist violence committed by Trask is only the visible tip of the iceberg of institutional violence inflicted on the families and dignity of workers at Duke every single day in the form of poverty wages and disrespect. We are committed to justice for Ms. Underwood, who was directly attacked as a Black woman and a worker by an individual administrator. We are also fiercely committed to the dignity and well-being of all Duke workers, whose poverty wages are a form of violence deeply rooted in a history of racism and sexism. This kind of structural violence, enacted not by a single administrator but Duke University as an institution, also robs Black and Brown workers and women of worth and dignity. Trask’s violence is an expression of this institutional violence. We are committed to bringing both to an end.
The initial threats to arrest protesters and pursue disciplinary action, followed by their recent inconsistent decisions, serve only to pressure protesters inside the Allen building to leave. These threats and ultimatums have shut out and silenced voices in the negotiation process. They will not do anything to right the wrongs that have occurred under Duke’s management. Tonight, we invite the administration to take the opportunity to grow as leaders of our Duke community by courageously addressing and resolving the issues in the presence of those it affects the most. We ask them to invite Duke workers to the table.
Duke Students & Workers in Solidarity 