Duquesne should follow pope’s union principles

As a Catholic, I was disturbed to see that a Catholic university in the Diocese of Pittsburgh continues to refuse the right of its adjunct professors to organize in a union (March 2, “Duquesne to Take Union Battle to Court”).

Pope Francis has spoken many times of the importance of unions in the workforce. “There is no good society without a good union,” the pope said on June 28, 2017, during an audience with Italian union leaders.

University president Ken Gormley has steadfastly asserted that Duquesne is not subject to an earlier National Labor Relations Board ruling asserting the right of the professors to unionize.

“The university’s Catholic and Spiritan mission is what makes the university different than nonreligious academic institutions and entities,” Mr. Gormley stated.

The Spiritan movement of the Holy Ghost fathers, who founded Duquesne (as the Pittsburgh Catholic College in 1878), has as one of its tenets: “‘As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ After saying that He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” — John 20:21-22.

That doesn’t seem to be any message that Mr. Gormley is instilling in his students.

Georgetown University, one of only two Catholic universities to make U.S. News & World Report’s list of top 25 universities, recently renewed the contract with its adjunct professors’ union. Duquesne needs to follow Georgetown’s example.

It’s time for Duquesne students, alumni and benefactors to speak out in force to condemn this anti-labor position of the university. It’s past time for Bishop David Zubik, the shepherd of the diocese, and Duquesne alumni to urge the university to follow the Catholic principles of the pope and the Spiritan mission and let the professors join a union. JERRY FITZGIBBON

North Versailles for securing a warrant on Carter Page. Fusion GPS was first hired by a Republican doing opposition research. GPS felt it needed more information about the Russian connections, so it contacted an expert, Christopher Steele. After Mr. Steele saw the damning reports coming from Russia, he became alarmed at the situation, felt Donald Trump was compromised and gave his information to the FBI.

James Comey did not call key parts of the Steele dossier “salacious and unverified” — he said some parts were. Personally, I do not think who peed on what mattress is germane to the issue and should be disregarded. But key parts of the dossier have, in fact, been verified.

Russia attacked us through cyberwarfare. Instead of trying to get to the bottom of what happened, the PG is turning on our own government, the FBI and the FISA court. This is right out of an autocrat’s playbook. It seems our foreign friends, the English and Australians, are more concerned about America than some Americans. You did a disservice to your readers, your newspaperand your country. JOANNE GARING

North Huntingdon

I just completed reading my Feb. 26 issue of Sports Illustrated and felt compelled to share some of the content.

In the “Scorecard” section, “We Can’t Let These Kids Die in Vain” focuses on Frank Hall, who is a football coach at Chardon High School in Lakeside, Ohio. Six years ago, he chased a shooter down the hallway and out into the parking lot and away from the school. Three students died and three others were injured that day.

The part of the article that struck me the most was his quote: “Some day I hope and pray that one of those kids or our kids is a congressman or a senator and they’re able to change our gun laws. I’m a gun owner. I protect my house, but it’s not [with] an AR-15. The only purpose of that gun is to kill people. Our children see it and it’s sad that the adults in this country don’t see it. It’s sad that it is a red and blue issue. An AR-15 isn’t the cause. But it is the means. Let’s take away the means and thenwork on the cause.” JIM FARMERIE

Valencia

Dick Fornear’s letter on gun laws (Feb. 26, “Laws Won’t Stop Evil”) tries to compare apples and oranges. His examples of pressure cookers, trucks and cars versus guns makes no sense. Pressure cookers are sold for cooking and cars and trucks for transporting people and things. Guns, on the other hand, are manufactured and sold solely for their ability to harm, whetheranimals or humans. BOB REITH

Bethel Park