100 Workers Laid Off At Stanford University: Coronavirus

PALO ALTO, CA — At least 100 full-time union-represented food service and janitorial workers were laid off after the novel coronavirus outbreak began affecting classes at Stanford University, and the workers' union along with students and alumni on Monday demanded that the university continue to pay their salaries and benefits into the summer.

"These are workers with families," Denise Solis, first vice president for Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West said. "These workers have fought for benefits like health insurance."

Of the roughly 230 food service and janitorial employees between Stanford's main campus and Redwood City campus, about 100 have been laid off without pay and benefits since mid-March, and at least 130 workers could be laid off by the end of this month, according to Stanford's chapter of the union.

The union wants Stanford to commit to paying the wages and benefits of its workers through the current quarter into June so employees who depend on their employer for their income and health care benefits will have a "safety net" during the deadly COVID-19 disease outbreak. The union also said the employees were laid off without proper notice, as required by their labor contract.

"We understand that Stanford could make some sort of a commitment to these workers so that they have some sort of a cushion before they are left just totally without wages," Solis added.

The university did not immediately return a request for comment Monday.

"When they're laid off like this, (for) many of them this means, since they're living paycheck-to-paycheck, they can't pay rent," Solis said. "It's a double hit, not just for the janitors and food service workers, but for their families."

Solis said Stanford has tried to "wash their hands" of the situation by directing union representatives to try to mediate with UG2, the university's labor contractor.

"It's so disappointing when they don't put their money where their mouth is," John-Lancaster Finley, former Associated Students of Stanford University president, said during Monday's teleconference with SEIU-USWW.

California Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, on Monday said she hopes her alma mater commits to continuing its employees' wages and benefits through the end of the current quarter.

"We know that Stanford can help these workers that serve students and faculty everyday," Gonzalez said. "We should respect them as much as we suggest that they are essential workers."

Gonzalez said it is Stanford's "responsibility" to look after the well-being of its employees by keeping them on payroll so the school's workers and their families "continue to have some sort of safety net" while much of the country remains shut down because of the effects of the coronavirus.

In an April 3 email correspondence between the union and the university, Stanford's associate vice president of employee and labor relations Alex Gurza said the university is "of course, concerned about the impact of the current pandemic on all members of the Stanford University community," but that "Stanford is not the employer of any of the workers represented by SEIU USWW, and the University is not in a position to make any decisions regarding their employment status."

Gurza added that in the meantime, Stanford hopes the laid-off employees can find unemployment benefits through the federal CARES Act, "including but not limited to enhanced unemployment insurance benefits.

"Again, we appreciate your letter and empathize with everyone affected by this crisis," Gurza's email concludes. "We look forward to a time, hopefully in the not too distant future, when we can all return to normalcy."

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