We must do better for frontline workers

Before essential workers were considered “essential,” they already had it rough. From wage theft to Occupational Safety and Health Administration violations to rampant customer entitlement, they face a myriad of hardships. Since the pandemic started, however, one number epitomizes their experience: 87.

According to a 2020 UC Merced study, an estimated 87% of excess deaths in California during the pandemic’s first 10 months were frontline workers. This same study estimated a 42% rise in excess deaths for restaurant and foodservice workers.

At USC, the dangers of being a frontline worker are abundantly clear. Dining hall workers work in close proximity to thousands of unmasked students in the residential dining halls. USC employees who scan Trojan Check come into contact with every student entering campus. USC custodial staff must go into students’ rooms in residential housing such as McCarthy Honors.

For these workers, every workday is a superspreader event. However, USC’s administration does not treat these workers like they’re taking this daily immeasurable risk. Many of these essential workers don’t make close to a livable wage in California: According to a report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, they should make $39.03 per hour, but the current Los Angeles County minimum wage is $15 per hour.

High unemployment and economic recessions coerce many into working these high-risk jobs, even with low pay — it’s either crumbs or nothing. These terrible labor conditions aren’t new at USC — plenty of worker protests have occurred throughout USC’s history, the latest one being Keck Medicine of USC nurses striking last July. 

The pandemic has only made these conditions worse, exemplified by our institution’s contradictory attitudes regarding the coronavirus. On one hand, USC mandates a one-urinal distance in the bathroom to prevent spreading the virus. When our institution squishes thousands upon thousands of people shoulder-to-shoulder for events such as the New Student Convocation, USC-sponsored concerts and football games, however, these same concerns turn into mere afterthoughts.

Our institution’s inconsistencies harm our front-line workers the most, as essential workers disproportionately live in overcrowded homes which exacerbate the spread of the coronavirus. Considering USC had 16,614 staff members during the 2020-21 school year and that a whopping 11% of Los Angeles lives in overcrowded housing — this number gets as high as 38% in the Westlake neighborhood — USC has an obligation to ensure its staff, and by extension, the greater L.A. community, remains healthy. As of now, they fail to do so. Mask mandates are enforced with, at most, disapproving looks, and workers’ wages definitely do not correspond to the coronavirus threat they must endure every day.

However, our University’s shortcomings do not absolve USC students of our faults — every day on campus and USC Housing, students bemoan coronavirus safety measures, desperately waiting for the University to lift safety regulations, such as the no-guest policy, which USC Housing will lift on Oct. 18. At football games, concerts and parties, students forgo their masks, allowing for easy transmission of the virus. After these events, students then return to close contact with these workers in dorms, dining halls, classrooms and more. 

We have the luxury of risking the contraction of coronavirus for the sake of our recreational events, while USC workers are subjected to it for their livelihood. Obligated to tend to approximately 49,500 students, USC workers’ chances of contracting coronavirus add up. 

As students, we are all directly liable for not only the lives of these people who keep our institution up and running, but also for their families, their loved ones and every person they encounter. It is not merely a suggestion — it is imperative that we prioritize their health over our minor inconveniences. 

We must support our workers and advocate for improving their conditions. We must not partake in irresponsible actions that endanger them. We must ensure they are compensated for the inconceivable risk they take every day. As USC students, we must do better for our frontline workers.