Update on the Administration's Latest Email to Grad Workers

On January 8th, Provost Robert Groves sent an email stating Georgetown University is willing to negotiate a private election for graduate worker unionization!

We’re excited to see Georgetown re-evaluated their position. This change—from being willing to challenge our legal status as workers to now being willing to negotiate a third party election—is a direct result of our collective actions and our support from faculty, alumni, undergraduates, fellow grad workers, and the Georgetown Community as a whole. Organizing works. From alumni expressing their desire to donate to our campaign rather than to Georgetown, to our coverage in the Washington Post, National Catholic Reporter, Inside Higher Ed, and The Georgetown Voice, public pressure works.

We still have a lot of work to do in order for the University to sign onto this agreement and get our vote, so we plan to keep up the pressure.

We encourage everyone in the Georgetown community who has questions about unionization to talk directly with us. Read our FAQ that was written by fellow grad workers. Come to our office hours, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, or email us at GAGEorganizing@gmail.com.

Update on GAGE's Response to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

Update on GAGE's Response to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

Last night the Senate voted to begin debate on its version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which, unlike the version that the House passed on November 16, preserves the tax-exempt status of graduate workers’ tuition benefits, for now. Observers agree that the Senate will likely vote on the tax bill either tonight or Friday. The Grad Student Tax represents nothing less than an attack on US higher education, and graduate workers everywhere want to ensure that the final version of the tax bill preserves the tax-exempt status of our tuition benefits.   

 

GAGE Delivers Unionization Petition To DeGioia’s Office

GAGE Delivers Unionization Petition To DeGioia’s Office

Members of the Georgetown Alliance of Graduate Employees (GAGE) delivered a letter to the office of university President John DeGioia declaring their intention to unionize. The letter was delivered following a rally on Copley Lawn to celebrate reaching majority support for unionization among graduate student employees. The university now has the choice of whether or not to recognize the union and begin negotiating a contract.

Graduate Students Continue Push To Unionize

Graduate Students Continue Push To Unionize

Georgetown graduate students are seeking stronger and more formalized representation through unionization, a growing trend nationally at private universities since an Aug. 23, 2016 ruling by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) allowing such organization for graduate students.

Georgetown Graduate Student Workers Need a Union

Georgetown Graduate Student Workers Need a Union

A DSC-conducted survey of Ph.D students found that 80 percent of approximately 160 respondents want a union for graduate workers. This is why several of us are beginning a new group, Georgetown Alliance of Graduate Employees (GAGE), to campaign for a graduate worker union.  

Grad Students Discuss Unionization At Town Hall

Grad Students Discuss Unionization At Town Hall

During the town hall, members of the Doctoral Students’ Coalition (DSC) presented the findings from their unionization working group. In anticipation of the NLRB ruling last August, the 15 member unionization working group read union contracts of other unionized students, became familiarized with Just Employment Policy, and spoke with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), American Federation of Teachers, and unionized graduate students from other universities.