Dear President Folt and Provost Guzman,
As proud alumni of USC, we know firsthand how important the non-tenure-track faculty were to us and our experiences at the university. Some of our favorite teachers, research collaborators, creative and clinical practitioners were instrumental in making USC a formative experience for us.
We are aware that, in order to have a real say in their working conditions, a majority of these same non-tenure-track faculty signed union authorization cards in favor of forming their own United Faculty-UAW union. It’s disappointing that at a time when universities are under attack nationwide, rather than working with the faculty, USC is spending millions of dollars to attempt to block non-tenure track faculty from holding a democratic vote on unionization. Furthermore, it is jarring that the university has also argued that the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) itself is unconstitutional, which is an extreme legal theory that, if enacted, would be devastating to unions and worker protections throughout the United States.
We care a great deal about USC as an institution and what it represents. That’s why we urge the administration to halt their anti-democratic practices and:
- Drop all legal challenges and respect the right of non-tenure track faculty to vote on unionization
- Should the vote be successful, respect the wishes of the non-tenure-track faculty and bargain with them in good faith
Sincerely,
The Undersigned USC Alumni