John,
I’ve worked at Duke University for 11 years as a biowaste handler. I’m proud of the work I do – but I’m incredibly frustrated and hurt by how Duke treats its workers, like me.
Every night, I’m responsible for cleaning two entire floors of the health and wellness center – from the dentist office to the therapy rooms and gym. Management knows it’s impossible to do it all in one night, but they don’t care.
I only make $18.37/hr, even after more than a decade working at Duke. In 2013, my rent was $850. Today, it’s $1,500 – a 65% increase – but our wages haven’t kept up! Many of my co-workers now drive an hour or more just to get to work because the city of Durham has become so unaffordable. Duke has a big influence; it’s one of the largest employers in our area—it could help make change alongside us.
And Durham isn’t the only city facing these affordability issues—but still, instead of taking time and resources to build up communities, elites celebrate themselves.
Duke is celebrating Founders’ Day this week – an annual holiday marking the start of the institution and honoring the men who made it happen.
But Duke’s founding is about more than the industrialists whose names we see around us. It’s about more than the billionaire Board of Trustees who care more about their investment than our quality of life.
The real story of Duke’s founding is that generations of low-wage workers like me have cleaned, repaired, and kept this campus running since its beginning.
The real founders of Duke are the workers who built its buildings, maintained its grounds, served students, faculty and more for over 100 years.
Why should the rich be exalted when it's workers who actually make sure the lights turn on?
