OUR DEMANDS
APRIL 1, 2016
Following a rally on West Campus on Friday, April 1, 2016, nine student protesters commenced the sit-in in the waiting room of the President’s Office in the Allen building and issued demands that echo those published in an op-Ed in the Duke Chronicle on March 21, 2016.
1. We demand the immediate termination, without compensation, of EVP Tallman Trask III, VP Kyle Cavanaugh, and PTS Director Carl DePinto.
2. We demand that Tallman Trask issue a public apology to Ms. Underwood, all former and current PTS employees who have suffered racist abuse, and all of Duke and Durham’s community for his hateful, violent, and negligent actions.
3. We demand that Tallman Trask pay full legal and medical reparations to Ms. Underwood.
4. We demand that Duke University hire competent, outside employment counsel, approved by Duke Students and Workers in Solidarity, to conduct a full investigation into Parking and Transportation Services, the Office of Institutional Equity, and the Duke University Police Department in regards to their respective handling of Ms. Underwood’s case, as well as the unlawful discrimination complaints and reports filed by former and current PTS employees. Said counsel is to have no pre-existing relationship with Duke University, Duke University personnel, administrators, or board of trustees.
5. We demand a comprehensive and transparent review and revision of Duke’s employment standards and guidelines for sub-contracted workers, to ensure that they match the employment standards for Duke employees.
6. We demand transparency and community input in the recruitment and selection process for Duke administrators.
7. We demand that the minimum wage for Duke employees and sub-contracted workers be raised to $15/hour and for this rate to be indexed to keep up with inflation. This pay rate is closer to a living wage that strengthens their ability to meet their basic needs with dignity. Every worker deserves to be paid a fair wage and provided with the ability to make a decent living.
Duke Students & Workers in Solidarity 