Pandemic Solidarity – Local 26 S.E.I.U. Southern Region

While this is a challenging time for all of us, we are proud to be part of a faculty body that remains dedicated to our students’ education and concerned about the well-being of our colleagues and community. If you are looking for ideas about online teaching, we recommend Duke’s Keep Teaching site. See below for ways to support each other and our broader community. Our colleagues at the Duke Graduate Union also have some helpful information.

Solidarity with the Duke Community

Sign and share a letter from the Duke Faculty Union, urging the administration to support ALL workers (including part-time contract workers).
Donate money to workers kept home without pay. Specify “Duke workers” or “Duke contract workers”
Donate food to the Graduate and Professional Students food pantry.

Solidarity with the Durham Community

Support local restaurant workers by donating to this fund.
Sign and share this petition urging the UNC system to protect the safety and financial well-being of its workers (including workers at NC Central and UNC Chapel Hill).
Volunteer to help high-risk individuals.
Consider ordering take-out or delivery from local business.
Support Durham public school students by donating money or delivering critical supplies.
Follow the Durham Workers Assembly on Facebook for more local actions.
Consult this spreadsheet to learn more about Durham community resources.

Solidarity Beyond Durham

As SEIU President Mary Kay Henry observes, “the COVID-19 outbreak has shown the importance of working people having the collective power that comes when we join together in a union to hold employers accountable and fight for our families, the people we care for and provide services for, and our communities.

Unfortunately, many workers and families affected by this outbreak do not have paid sick days, access to affordable healthcare, or any kind of protection against layoffs or cutbacks. At a time like this, that makes everyone less safe.”

Some ideas for solidarity beyond Durham:

Sign the Fight for $15’s petition asking McDonald’s to give their workers paid sick leave.
Write a letter to the North Carolina General Assembly demanding that they support pro-worker policies, such as restoring the 26 week maximum for unemployment benefits. The AFL-CIO of North Carolina has talking points for your letter.
Donate to the Bookstore Industry Charitable Foundation

Check back here for more information about how to stand in solidarity with workers—nationally and internationally—seeking leave and other benefits that are essential to both worker justice and public health.

The best way to show solidarity with other workers, however, is to join DFU as a dues-paying member or increase your contribution to our Workers United for Political Power fund.