GAGE prepares for arbitration with GU over COVID-19 concerns

Georgetown University’s COVID-19 plans and policies have profoundly impacted the graduate work experience. Throughout the summer, we made sure that the administration heard graduate workers’ concerns both through public forums and in bargaining meetings. At present, they have failed to adequately address our concerns, and they have reneged on their contractual commitments to our union by denying our union right to bargain.

Thursday morning we met with representatives of the administration in an attempt to resolve our fundamental dispute over our union right to bargain a COVID-19 agreement, a formal document that would be separate and distinct from our contract. At this meeting, the administration continued to insist they are not obligated to bargain with GAGE on these issues. We are beginning preparations to take this disagreement to a third-party arbitrator. We will seek to reaffirm that the administration is obligated to bargain with GAGE on the impact of the administration’s COVID-19 reopening policies on graduate work at Georgetown.

Here we’d like to recap what we are fighting for in a COVID-19 agreement and explain what it means to go to arbitration. We ask that you sign our open letter to show support for our arbitration case and impact bargaining campaign. 

COVID-19 Impact Bargaining

GAGE initiated the process of impact bargaining in mid-July to seek resolution with the administration over COVID-19 policies that have caused graduate workers at Georgetown intense amounts of frustration, fear, and uncertainty. Impact bargaining is separate from our contract and would set policies for the duration for pandemic, whether it ends in time for the Spring 2021 semester or lasts later into 2021 (or beyond). Impact bargaining leads to binding agreements such as a Letter of Agreement, Memorandum of Understanding, Side Agreement, or a combination of these. Unions regularly negotiate such agreements in response to new developments like the COVID-19 pandemic, as shown by the side letters negotiated by the graduate union at Brown University, and the memorandum of understanding the faculty union won at the University of Florida. The graduate union at New York University is currently impact bargaining and the graduate workers of the University of Michigan just completed an 8-day  strike over their administration’s unwillingness to meet their bargaining demands for a fair and just response to the pandemic. 

The administration must bargain with GAGE to ensure COVID-19 policies protect rather than harm graduate workers. Our proposals sought to:

• Guarantee remote work for all graduate workers regardless of their location;

• Provide sick leave to graduate workers--especially those in hourly positions--who contract COVID-19;

• Secure the University’s commitment to cover the cost of public health protections, including COVID-19 testing, for graduate workers on campus; and

• Protect the legal rights of graduate workers under the administration’s Community Compact.

When we sent our demand for impact bargaining, we expected a swift process that would yield a formal agreement to improve upon current policies that we know fail to address graduate workers’ needs. We expected that, in line with the values espoused in Georgetown’s Just Employment Policy, the administration would want to bargain in good faith to achieve consensus on an agreement that would protect the health and safety of graduate workers. Instead, the administration denied our right to bargain. 

We have to ask ourselves: if the administration believes that GAGE doesn’t have the right to bargain over the impacts from changes due to an unprecedented global crisis, when would they ever believe that we have the right to do so? We cannot abide cynical and disingenuous attacks by the administration on our right to collectively push for safe and appropriate working conditions.

Arbitration

Arbitration is our recourse for disputes on which we cannot come to a resolution with the Administration. GAGE’s team is working with experts and lawyers at the American Federation of Teachers, our national union, to document the administration’s attempts to play fast and loose with our right to bargain collectively. If the arbitrator rules in our favor, then the administration will have to bargain with us in an effort to reach an agreement. We expect to win our case. But, there’s no guarantee. A lot makes the results of arbitration uncertain, including the anti-labor policies of the Trump-appointed National Labor Relations Board. If the arbitrator rules in the administration’s favor, that only means that we are exactly where we are now: relying on our collective power to face down an administration that, despite its much-touted commitment to workers’ rights, is willing to rely on the anti-labor policies of the Trump administration.

Since mid-July, we’ve organized to pressure the administration to respect our collective power and address our demands. Without a way to guarantee the accountability that we’ve fought for, the administration’s policies will continue to fail graduate workers when they should be protecting our health and livelihoods.

We’re confident about our case at arbitration, but we also know that whatever happens, our organizing is what will determine the administration’s willingness to negotiate a COVID-19 agreement with us. 

We recognize that you may have questions about our proposals, our interactions with the administration since July, or how the arbitration process works for Unions like GAGE. You can refer to our Impact Bargaining FAQ and you are welcome to contact us.

In solidarity,

Jewel Tomasula, President, and Daniel Solomon, Vice President

Update on Impact Bargaining from GAGE President

At our session Thursday August 6th, the Georgetown administration violated its commitment to protecting graduate workers from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. After receiving our impact-bargaining proposals to protect graduate workers, the administration told us during a bargaining session that graduate workers do not deserve to have a voice in our health, safety, and livelihoods.

The administration is counting on our silence as they adopt policies that will increase our risk of COVID-19 exposure and threaten our jobs despite a nationwide recession. Watch our President Jewel Tomasula describe the administration’s short-sighted attempts to keep graduate workers in the dark.

By excluding our Union from policy plans that threaten our health and safety, the administration is demonstrating its disregard for our well-being. But, we know that if we organize together, we have the power to win protections that will reduce COVID-19 risks for graduate workers and ensure their job security throughout the pandemic.

The administration thinks that it isn’t “necessary” to give graduate workers a voice in their working conditions. We know differently. 

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Impact Bargaining Sessions Update

We’ve returned to the bargaining table to protect the health, safety, and job security of graduate workers during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to my duties as vice president of our union, I am serving alongside Jewel Tomasula, Brent McDonnell, Ari Janoff, and Jeffrey Tsoi on the team that the Executive Council has organized to bargain with the administration over its fall reopening plans. I’m writing to share updates from the two bargaining sessions that graduate workers have used to share our concerns about the administration’s plans and present proposals to protect our community at Georgetown this fall.

During our bargaining sessions, we presented proposals that address a range of concerns you’ve shared with us. These include proposals to guarantee:

• Pay and health insurance for graduate workers whose concerns about on-campus work the administration is unable to accommodate;

• Public health protections for workers teaching or conducting research on campus;

• Remote teaching and research work for international student workers;

• Emergency medical leave for student workers who test positive for COVID-19; and

• The availability of hourly positions.

We’ve crafted our proposals to ensure protections under any context of our work during the COVID-19 pandemic. This week confirmed the need to be prepared for an array of different scenarios, as the Georgetown administration suddenly changed their reopening plans to hold classes virtually for the first month of the semester. However, the administration has indicated that it intends to organize hybrid classes as soon as possible, possibly even mid-semester.

To hold the administration to these proposals, we need to show them the same collective power that got us to the table this week. That’s why we will be organizing a series of actions over the coming weeks that demonstrate to the administration why these protections are essential to our work as teachers and researchers at Georgetown.

Our strength as a union comes from our membership. Organizing got us to this stage, and organizing will ensure that we win. Organizing works.

In solidarity,

Daniel Solomon, on behalf of the GAGE Bargaining Committee

Georgetown Agrees to Bargain over Fall Reopening Policies

Over the past week, we have spoken out in calls to the Georgetown administration and via social media with a simple message: Georgetown’s plans to re-open during the COVID-19 pandemic must protect the health, safety, and job security of graduate workers. Today, we learned that the administration heard our calls loud and clear. We will return to the bargaining table on Wednesday, July 29th, to negotiate an agreement that protects graduate workers and ensures that they are not compelled to teach or conduct research against their will or under conditions adverse to their health and safety.

These developments have confirmed for me what we’ve known all along: when we organize, we win.

Impact bargaining with the university will allow us to hold the administration to its promises of protecting graduate workers from increased COVID-19 risk. We have asked the administration to remove its drafted policy that would force some graduate workers to take an unpaid, uninsured leave of absence if the university is unable to accommodate their health and safety concerns. We’ve also asked the university to clarify its restrictions on teleworking for workers currently living abroad.

But we know that bargaining is only half the equation. Organizing got us to the table, and organizing will allow us to reach an agreement that protects all graduate workers at Georgetown.

In conclusion, I want to extend my sincerest appreciation to every one of you who answers our survey, signs our petition to President DeGioia, calls into the President’s Office, or shows up to our bargaining session. This is collective power! You all inspire me and I know that together we can achieve a strong agreement.

In solidarity,

Jewel Tomasula, on behalf of the GAGE Executive Council

Nominees for GAGE-AFT Executive Council

The Elections Committee of Georgetown Alliance of Graduate Employees, GAGE-AFT, has received its nominations for Executive Council positions. Nominations were conducted by emailing elections@wearegage.org. Members could nominate or self-nominate whomever they choose to so long as they submitted their nominees by Wednesday, July 1, as described in the Elections and Nominations notice emailed to all members. Nominees had until Friday, July 3, to accept their nomination and send us eligibility verification and candidacy information and all have done so.

Because we have candidates for every Executive Council position and all are running unopposed, we will not be conducting a formal election. Nominees will host a town hall on Wednesday, July 15, between 3 and 5pm, with the GAGE membership and will begin to take on their official duties during the following week.

Here are the candidate profiles as submitted to Elections Committee by the nominees:

Jewel Tomasula- Nominee for President

Jewel Tomasula (she/her) is a rising 4th year PhD candidate in the Biology Department. She served on GAGE’s Bargaining Committee during the final months of negotiations. She’s a Department Organizer and the Chair of the Communications Committee. Jewel understands that GAGE is the strongest avenue to advocate for Georgetown graduate students and to secure the compensation, benefits, and rights they deserve for their work. Especially as Georgetown operates during the COVID-19 pandemic, GAGE has a crucial role in protecting graduate workers and being a resource for them. Further, she sees GAGE as part of a larger movement to revolutionize academia towards an equitable and inclusive system. In the role of President, Jewel aims to ensure that the contract is fully implemented, the core functions of the union are established, and GAGE continues to build power as a force for social progress on and beyond campus.

As an ecologist, Jewel’s research involves experiments in a salt marsh and genetic analysis of plant samples in the lab. She worked as a teaching assistant for introductory Biology and Evolutionary Processes. Though the final years of her PhD are funded through the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, she knows her research is still work and that fellows also benefit from a strong graduate union.

Jewel is married and lives in Arlington, Virginia. Before starting at Georgetown, Jewel worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She earned a BS in Environmental Science at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Jewel is from Texas and is Mexican American; her mother immigrated from Mexico to Texas. She wants to see GAGE continue to break down systemic barriers that nearly stopped her from pursuing a PhD and currently make it more challenging for people from marginalized groups to pursue graduate work.

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Daniel Solomon - Nominee for Vice President

Daniel (he/him) is a rising 3rd year PhD student in the Government Department. He has been an active GAGE member since he started his PhD program, as a department organizer in the run-up to the fall 2018 union election, and then as a member of the Bargaining Committee throughout our contract negotiations with the university. In his role as Vice President, he’s excited to jump back into the spadework of organizing by building relationships with new and ongoing members and finding ways to center their experiences in our activism. Daniel looks forward to building a union that both advocates for the immediate needs of graduate workers at Georgetown, and serves as a platform for solidarity with other movements for justice that motivate our work.

Daniel’s research explores the dynamics of pogrom violence in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Nazi Germany. Prior to beginning his PhD program, Daniel worked as a researcher at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, where he is still an affiliated researcher. Since starting his PhD program, he has worked as a teaching assistant and research assistant in the Government Department. He knows that doing this work well requires an environment that protects our health and safety and compensates us fairly for our labor. Daniel’s research and his work with GAGE both underscore that we only achieve these goals through collective action. These values have motivated Daniel’s work with GAGE in recent months to ensure that the university does not compel graduate workers against our will to work on campus in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Daniel lives in Alexandria with his dog Sherlock. He enjoys hiking, baking sourdough bread with his 6-year-old starter, and jigsaw puzzles. He is originally from New York City and received his BA in international politics from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service.

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Brent McDonnell- Nominee for Treasurer

Brent McDonnell (he/him/his) is a rising 5th-year PhD candidate in the Department of History and an alumnus of the MA program in German and European Studies at the School of Foreign Service, first arriving at Georgetown in the Fall 2014 semester. Recognizing that the pay for graduate workers was woefully insufficient for living in Washington, DC, and that the University’s ability to unilaterally determine working conditions for graduates was unjust, Brent has been involved in organizing since GAGE’s earliest days. He was also part of the bargaining team which negotiated the union’s first contract with the Georgetown administration. Brent recognizes that the bargaining team was only able to win such significant improvements for graduate workers because of the work organizers and members did to demonstrate GAGE’s collective power during negotiations. As a candidate for the position of treasurer, Brent envisions this position as one which will contribute to the development of a robust, diverse union which reflects the collective power graduate workers have on campus when working in solidarity with one another.

Brent’s dissertation, “Reaction in a Time of Revolt,” analyzes the far right in the Federal Republic of Germany and Italy from the mid-1960s into the early 1980s through comparative and transnational perspectives. Brent has worked as a research assistant, a teaching assistant, and an instructor of record over his time at Georgetown.

Originally from Long Island, New York, Brent received a BA in Political Science and Italian Language and Literature from Fordham University in The Bronx, New York. In his free time (when and where concerns for public health allow), Brent enjoys playing a game of bar trivia with friends, watching arthouse films, and taking in a game of baseball or hockey. He has yet to see any of his favorite teams win a championship.

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Gerald Taylor - Nominee for Secretary

Gerald Taylor (he/him/his) is a rising 6th-year PhD candidate in the Philosophy Department. He has been actively involved with GAGE since its inception (he was a Department Organizer way back then), and is proud to have served more recently as a member of GAGE’s Bargaining Committee, which recently negotiated a first contract with Georgetown University. Gerald knows that this monumental achievement was possible only because grad workers were willing to stand for and with one another, and to use their collective voice to fight for a contract that supports them as whole people. He also knows that there is much more work to be done when it comes to holding Georgetown accountable for treating its workers with the respect and dignity that they deserve. In the role of Secretary, he aims to continue doing this work by helping grad workers build power, both at Georgetown and across all of academia.

Gerald’s philosophical research centers around the concept of ‘agency’, and his dissertation, which lies at the intersection of metaethics and action theory, articulates a novel conception of agency and demonstrates how it can be used to generate interesting metaethical results. When he isn’t philosophizing, Gerald enjoys listening to and playing music, dancing, going on long walks, getting the most out of his streaming subscriptions, playing a good game of chess, trying new craft beers, and eating barbecue.

Gerald lives in the Glover Park neighborhood of the District, and finds himself there by way of Youngstown, Ohio (where he was born and raised), Columbus, Ohio (where he completed his BA in Philosophy at The Ohio State University), Atlanta, Georgia (where he completed his MA in Philosophy at Georgia State University), and Arlington, Virginia (where he once paid way too much in rent for a studio).

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Ari Janoff - Nominee for Grievance Officer

Ari Janoff (she/her) is a rising 4th year PhD candidate in the Linguistics Department. She served as a member of the Bargaining Committee for the Humanities, and was a vote-yes captain and Department Organizer during the 2018 election process. She was also a member of the Constitution and Bylaws committee. She originally joined the union before receiving funding or work from the university precisely because of the solidarity in this community. Here, she found a group giving voice to her concerns about a lack of transparency and protections for graduate students. Since then, Ari has been an unfunded student, an hourly worker, and a stipended worker. She feels very passionately about the power of the union and how it allows workers to share their experiences across departments. However, she knows that winning our first contract with the University was just the beginning, and she hopes to continue fighting for the protections of workers as your Grievance Officer.

Ari’s research focuses on political discourse, in particular on how nationalism, racism, and hegemonic discourses are constructed on the American presidential debate stage. She has worked as a research assistant for the Educational Transformation program in addition to multiple concentrations of the Linguistics department. She has also served as a teaching assistant for the undergraduate Linguistics course How Languages Are Learned. This fall, Ari will be the assistant to the director of the Masters in Language & Communication.

Ari moved to Georgetown after completing her MA in English Sociolinguistics at North Carolina State University. Prior to that, she earned her BA in Linguistics from Pitzer College in her home state of California. In her non-academic pandemic free time, she loves bothering her very old cat, doing yoga and meditating, playing board games over zoom, reading sci-fi, and hiking.

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Zac Park - Nominee for Lead Organizer for Natural and Biomedical Sciences

Zac Park (he/him) is a rising 4th year PhD candidate in the Biology Department. He has served as a Department Organizer since the Spring of 2019 and has been involved in member development and communications. Zac strongly believes that collective power is the most effective way to ensure that grads have control over their working conditions. He sees GAGE as the embodiment of that collective power. However, Zac also knows that this collective power can only be achieved through solidarity. He understands that through solidarity GAGE can ensure that graduate work at Georgetown is accessible, equitable, and just for people from every background. In the role of Lead Organizer for The Natural and Biomedical Sciences Degree Programs, Zac will build solidarity across the sciences on both campuses by creating more spaces for cross department/campus interactions, expanding on an already strong network of Department Organizers who will help ensure our membership is always heard, and establishing GAGE as a force for progress both on and off campus.

Zac’s research focuses on how baker’s yeast, which has become a hot commodity once again, undergoes a specialized cell division called meiosis. He has worked as a teaching assistant for introductory Biology and Genetics. Zac currently works as a research assistant. From running 12 hour experiments to working weekends to meet deadlines, Zac knows how long lab work can take and will make sure that workers in the Sciences are being protected by our contract.

Zac moved to Arlington, Virginia after completing his BS in Biology and Biochemistry from Elmira College in his home state of New York. He started at Georgetown immediately after finishing his undergraduate degree. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Zac is excited to expand upon GAGE’s social justice work, which he believes will help reshape the exclusionary system that is academia.

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Dominick Cooper - Nominee for Lead Organizer for Humanities and Languages

Dominick Cooper (he/him) is a rising 2nd year PhD candidate in the Philosophy Department. He joined GAGE in the Fall of 2019 and began serving as a Department Organizer in the final months of GAGE's first contract negotiations. He is also active in the Member Development Committee, as well GAGE’s recent work to call for racial justice and support the Movement for Black Lives. Dominick learned a lot from the supportive and experienced community of GAGE organizers about the know-how and the importance of organizing in that time, from the strategic importance of contesting administration power in organizing to win a fair contract, to the value of organizing as the fundamental way to build relationships in solidarity with all of our fellow grad workers and in communities in the greater DMV area and beyond. He also affirms that effective organizing only happens when all grad workers at Georgetown are engaged and are ready to stand up and fight for themselves and for one another for better protections and working conditions, and is committed to empowering the growing community of GAGE grad workers, both in the U.S. and internationally, in person and virtually, to do so. In the role of Lead Organizer for Humanities and Languages Degree Programs, he aims continue organizing in this spirit.

As a philosopher, Dominick’s general interests lie in moral and political philosophy, especially in theories of justice and equality, the methodology of political philosophy, economic justice, and health justice.

Dominick lives in the wonderful D.C. neighborhood of Columbia Heights, and grew up in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. He earned a B.A. in Philosophy and Political Science from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, as well as an M.A. in Philosophy from Virginia Tech. Dominick originally began his PhD in Philosophy at University of Virginia, and transferred to Georgetown in the Fall of 2019.

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Andrew Gibson - Nominee for Lead Organizer for Social Sciences

Andrew Gibson (he/him)is a rising third-year Ph.D. Student in the Department of Government, where he studies political theory and international relations. Andrew signed a membership card in his first weeks on campus in 2018 and has worked as a Department Organizer during GAGE’s contract fight.

Having served as a teaching assistant in intro courses within the Department of Government and the School of Foreign Service, Andrew understands the work that graduate students do everyday. He is particularly interested in ensuring that grad workers are protected during this global pandemic. The university works because we do and no grad worker should be compelled to return to campus to work. Similarly, no grad worker should face the choice between unsafe working conditions and the risk of losing their employment or health insurance. Andrew will work to ensure grad workers are protected by their union.

Andrew comes from a family of educators and organizers. Both of his parents were high school teachers in Michigan public schools and his father currently works for the Michigan Education Association, the teacher’s union for the state of Michigan. In his research, Andrew is often thinking about Renaissance republicanism, 20th century political thought, and the philosophy of history.

Residing in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of DC, Andrew enjoys walks through the city and Rock Creek Park. Before coming to Georgetown, Andrew completed his B.A. at James Madison College at Michigan in 2016 and his M.A. at the University of Chicago in 2017.

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Samar Saeed - Nominee for Lead Organizer for Graduate Student Assistants Serving in Hourly Positions

Samar Saeed (she/her) is a rising 2nd year PhD candidate in the History Department. She joined GAGE in 2018 when she was a Master’s student in the School of Foreign Service. Samar believes that GAGE is a powerful platform to ensure that equity, inclusion, and workers’ rights are not empty slogans but practiced actively on our campus. GAGE’s community also enables students’ voices to be included in the decision-making process. Samar also believes that GAGE is more than a union working within the confines of the University. In recent months, GAGE has stood in solidarity with the movement for Black Lives and supported their call for justice. In the role of Lead Organizer for Hourly workers, Samar will build strong relationships with MA students to ensure that their rights under the new contract are protected and their unique concerns and frustrations are being addressed. She will also ensure that international students are also represented, especially now under the pandemic and ensuing uncertainties.

Samar is a researcher of Palestinian and Jordanian history. She focuses on gender, revolutions, and resistance. She has worked as a teaching assistant and as a research assistant for different professors. Samar understands the pressure and anxieties that surface from juggling a schedule with full-time classes, work, and personal commitments. She hopes to make GAGE a place where students feel comfortable to share their experiences.

A Palestinian/Jordanian who lived most of her life in Jordan, Samar first moved to the U.S. in 2004 for her undergraduate studies at George Mason University and returned in 2017 to start an MA program at Georgetown. In between, Samar lived in Amman and Zurich for work, and in London, where she completed an MA from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). Samar believes that the systems of oppression that dispossess Palestinians from their land, murder Black people, and exploit workers are interlinked, and in order for us to dismantle these systems we need to build meaningful solidarity and organize collectively. This is why she is committed to GAGE and building power for the union. In her free time, Samar loves to watch basketball games (both NBA and WNBA), go dancing with friends, and walk/run around the city.

GAGE-AFT Election and Nomination Notice June 24th, 2020

The Georgetown Alliance of Graduate Employees, GAGE-AFT, will be holding an mail in election for the following Union offices:

• President.

• Vice President.

• Treasurer.

• Secretary.

• Grievance Officer.

• Lead Organizer for Natural and Biomedical Sciences Degree Programs.

• Lead Organizer for Humanities and Languages Degree Programs.

• Lead Organizer for Social Sciences Degree Programs.

• Lead Organizer for Graduate Student Assistants Serving in Hourly Positions.

Information on the duties of these positions can be found in the Constitution and Bylaws ratified on June 20, 2020.

Running for Office

If you’re interested in running for office or nominating someone else, you will need to email the GAGE Elections Committee at elections@wearegage.org by 5 PM on July 1, 2020 with your nomination.

As a new local, GAGE has a structure that emphasizes the core role of organizing as a union function and attempts to incorporate students from every part of the unit into leadership positions. Our goal is to have a diverse Executive Council that reflects a wide range of disciplines, demographic groups, and experiences as graduate workers at Georgetown.

If you do not anticipate being a full member next year (i.e., receiving a biweekly paycheck from Georgetown from which Union dues are deducted) you may still run for office. Please be advised that by doing so, you are committing to being an associate member in good standing as defined in the Constitution and Bylaws, and must pay associate dues to GAGE-AFT by August 1st, 2020. Please email us with any questions you have about full and associate membership.

July 2 Candidate Office Hours and July 15 Candidate Town Hall

On July 2, from 12 to 2 PM, we’ll be holding elections committee office hours for prospective candidates and nominees interested in hearing more about the election process or the role of Executive Council positions. The zoom link for office hours will be sent to everyone who is nominated or self nominated. Candidates have until July 3rd, 2020 to accept their nomination by filling out a survey we will send to them and submitting a photo and candidate bio. Note that the elections committee will be checking whether nominees are eligible to run for office and that ineligible candidates will receive a separate email explaining their situation.

On July 15, from 3 to 5 PM, we’ll be holding a candidate town hall. GAGE members will have the opportunity to submit questions to candidates who agree to attend, and candidates will be given an opportunity to introduce themselves to the membership. An RSVP form for the town hall will be sent to all GAGE members in an upcoming email.

We hope that both of these functions serve as opportunities for people who are interested in getting involved with GAGE to learn more about how our union is growing and evolving and the vision that their fellow members have for the next year.

In Solidarity,

Theo Landsman (PhD in Government)

Ellen Jacobs (PhD in Biology)

Maggie Weng (PhD in Biology)

Rahel Fainchtein (PhD in Computer Science)

Andy Marshall (PhD in Government)

GAGE Elections Committee

Constitution Ratification Announcement

GIF: Our Constitution and Bylaws are ratified!

Congratulations on the successful ratification of our Constitution and Bylaws! 95.3% of participating members voted YES to ratify. These documents will set the foundation to help our Union become the Union we want it to be--a Union that not only stands up for graduate workers at Georgetown, but also works toward the common good at Georgetown and across Washington, DC.

Now that we have ratified our Constitution and Bylaws ratified, the Elections Committee is a standing committee of our Union charged with strictly ensuring democratic processes for the benefit of all members. Our functioning is vital to the running of GAGE. We will be responsible for facilitating free and fair elections by the membership for positions on the Executive Council, amendments to the Constitution, and any other elections which may be necessary in the process of growing our Union.

Specifically, we’re planning on holding a mail-in election at the end of July to elect our first Executive Council, which will consist of five officers elected at-large and four lead organizers elected by different groups or categories of graduate workers. The regulations of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) prohibit us from electing our Executive Council via an online election, as we were able to with both our contract with Georgetown and now our Constitution and Bylaws. The process for electing the members of the Executive Council will begin on Wednesday, June 24th, when the floor will officially be opened to nominations (including self-nominations) from members.

As the Elections Committee, it will be our responsibility to plan and facilitate the election, from designing the ballots to counting them once returned. But, we will need your help. Because an in-person election is not possible during the current global pandemic, we will instead mail everyone a ballot to their summer address. You can update or confirm your summer address information here.

Any member who wants to join the Elections Committee is valued and encouraged to do so. It’s not necessary that you’ve been previously involved in organizing for GAGE. If you are interested in joining the Elections Committee, please email us at elections@wearegage.org no later than 5 PM (EDT) on Tuesday, June 23rd.

In Solidarity,

GAGE Elections Committee

Constitution and Bylaws Highlights

We had such great engagement on our Constitution and Bylaws last week during our all-membership meetings. GAGE members'hip input was invaluable to our Constitution and Bylaws Committee as it worked to develop our Union's structure.

Highlights of Our Constitution and Bylaws

In the Constitution:

• Objectives of the Union: Organize graduate employees, collective bargaining, improve the standard of education, and cooperate with other segments of our society/other labor unions toward the achievement of the common good.

• Structure of the Executive Council: 5 Officers (President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Grievance Officer) elected by the entire membership and 4 Lead Organizers elected by constituency groups.

• Standing Committees: Bargaining/Research, Finance, Communications, Structural Equity, Elections, Grievance.

• Decision Making: General Membership Meetings and Referenda.

In the Bylaws:

• Dues for Full Members (members who hold appointments as Graduate Student Assistants): 1.75% of gross salary.

• Dues for Associate Members (members who do not hold appointments as Graduate Student Assistants): $12 per month.

• Structure of the Organizers’ Council: Department Organizers are members who undergo training and sign a commitment card. The intent is to have at least one Department Organizer from each department/program. Our target ratio is one Department Organizer for every ten GAGE members in the department.

GAGE membership will ratify the Constitution and Bylaws that will govern your Union for years to come. Polls will be open from 9 AM (EDT) on Wednesday, June 17, to 9 PM (EDT) on Friday, June 19. Similar to the vote to ratify our contract with Georgetown in May, the Election Committee will be sending your ballot to your non-GU email address. If you haven't been receiving GAGE emails at your non-GU email address, you should contact the Elections Committee at elections [at] wearegage.org. We will also be holding office hours at 12 noon (EDT) on Tuesday June 16 and Thursday June 18 to answer any questions you have about Constitution and Bylaws or other topics related to the Union. RSVP here!

We remind you that in order to be eligible to vote you must 1) Be a member of GAGE-AFT, 2) Currently be enrolled at Georgetown, and 3) Have worked as or will work as a Graduate Student Assistant. Constitution and Bylaws are important bases of a union - join us in voting yes!

Steps to Ratify Our First Union Contract

We’re so excited we have reached a tentative agreement! See the highlights here.

Once it’s been ratified, this contract will help govern the lives and livelihoods of graduate workers at Georgetown. We are hosting Member Meetings on Tuesday, May 5, at 10 AM and 3 PM and Wednesday, May 6, at 12 PM and 5.30 PM.

After nearly five years of 1-on-1 conversations, of flyering, of pledges and petitions, of emails to alumni and donors, of digital and physical protests, we can’t conceal our pride and delight at having arrived at this moment. It’s been a long time in coming. However, this moment represents the beginning of the next chapter in our story as a union and a community. We’ve won our contract. Now we have to prepare to enforce it.

That’s why it is so important for members to show up to Member Meetings and to vote to ratify our tentative agreement. Just like our union election in November 2018 where 83.7 percent of graduate workers voted #UnionYes and #GAGEYes, this week is an opportunity for us to show our unity and strength.          

Polling in the ratification election will be open from 9 AM on Wednesday, May 6, to 9 pm on Thursday, May 7. To vote in the ratification election, you need to be (1) a member of GAGE (2) who is currently enrolled at Georgetown and (3) who either has worked or will work as a teaching assistant, a research assistant, or an instructor of record.

Links to voting will be sent to your non-GU email. Update your email with GAGE here.

This is an exciting moment for all graduate workers at Georgetown. See you at the ballot box!

Tentative Agreement Reached!

We’ve reached a tentative agreement!

We won’t bury the lede on May Day: We are incredibly happy to announce that we have reached a tentative agreement on our first contract with the University! 

The past three years have been a fight, but we have persevered. We organized, we sent petitions, and we stood firm in fighting for a Contract for the Whole Person for all GU grad workers. This contract couldn’t happen without hundreds of us coming together and making our power felt, over and over again! The bargaining committee, the organizing committee, and every member have shown up, time and time again because we know the value of our work. Today we have taken a huge step in making sure the University recognizes that value as well.

This is an auspicious moment - at a time when many of our workers are dealing with unprecedented unknowns, a strong, collectively bargained contract can help provide stability and security.

Read highlights of our tentative agreement.

Join us at the table #ReadytoTHRIVE

We have bargaining tomorrow at 12.30 PM in ICC 651, and we need to see you there!

Last Wednesday at our Member Meeting, Jewel Tomasula (Biology) and Gerald Taylor (Philosophy) from our Bargaining Committee underscored how important it is for us and hundreds of graduate workers at Georgetown like us to show up to bargaining sessions with the administration. They announced that, in the coming weeks, we will start bargaining over “bottom-line issues” that we prioritized in our Bargaining Survey--stipends and hourly wages, dental and vision coverage, health insurance, childcare, transportation, and paid family and medical leave.  

Jewel and Gerald reported that, since contract negotiations started on March 8, 2019 (that’s almost one year ago!), we have reached tentative agreements with administration on fourteen proposals, including protections for international students, compensation for graduate workers when paid positions are canceled, and workplace grievances and arbitration procedures. Jewel and Gerald emphasized that we had arrived at this point in large part because graduate workers have shown up to bargaining and shared their stories with the administration.

That’s why we need you to show up tomorrow at bargaining: to show the administration that we’re #ReadyToTHRIVE and we want the dignified wages and benefits we have earned through our labor as teachers and researchers.

Bargaining can be an eye-opening and empowering experience, as Jeremy Canfield from our Organizing Committee (OC) observed before the winter break. By attending a bargaining session, you can learn more about the graduate experience at Georgetown and show your support for your friends and colleagues at the table. More importantly, you can remind the administration that you and hundreds of graduate employees like you will do what it takes to win a contract.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be contacting you about different ways that you can help win a contract that reflects our interests and values our contributions as graduate workers. But, for the moment, you should plan to show up to bargaining (if not this week, then next week!) and remind the administration that we’re watching.

In solidarity,

GAGE Organizing Committee

Semester Summary for Fall 2019 - GAGE Bargaining Committee

Happy New Year from your Bargaining Committee! As we all get ready for the new semester, we want to make sure you're updated on our negotiations.

Our tentative agreements so far:

As of this past semester, we have presented all of our proposals to the University's negotiating team! In total, that amounts to 41 proposals. To create and prioritize our proposals, we drew from our January 2019 Bargaining Survey and our one-on-one conversations with hundreds of GAGE members. This was the best way for us on the Bargaining Committee to ensure that every grad worker's voice here at Georgetown is reflected in these proposals.

We came to tentative agreements on twelve proposals this semester. These agreements covered a wide range of subjects, including the relationship between GAGE and University administration, any future implementations of University-wide evaluations for grad workers, protections for international students, and compensation when paid positions held by graduate students are canceled.

Our progress on negotiating our grievance procedure:

During the Fall semester, we spent many of our sessions negotiating about the grievance procedure that will be available to graduate workers in our new contract. Specifically, we’ve worked hard to specify how our new contract will go farther to protect graduate students from harassment and bias in the workplace. We are close to reaching a tentative agreement and hope that agreement will allow graduate workers to report harassment and bias with union representation, and request that swift interim measures be taken to ensure their safety and respect in the workplace. Since June, our members have been telling Georgetown Admin that existing reporting procedures fail grad workers - like in this personal story shared by a GAGE member in The Voice.

We on the Bargaining Committee would like to stress that our progress is due in large part to the work of rank-and-file GAGE members who were brave enough to come forward with their experiences of harassment and discrimination at Georgetown.

Our progress on top issues: pay and healthcare

Our two top remaining issues are improving health insurance, especially adding vision and dental coverage, and increasing compensation to address the high cost of living in the DC area. To kick off the current academic year, on August 29, 2019 we presented our proposals to increase the minimum PhD stipend and minimum hourly wage for graduate assistantships alongside proposals related to such other non-healthcare benefits as child assistance funding, reduced transportation costs, and retirement savings. To commemorate the one-year anniversary of our successful unionization vote, we presented our healthcare proposals on November 12, 2019.

It's now on Georgetown Admin to respond to these proposals. We've been assured that negotiation on economic issues will begin this month, but it's essential that we keep pushing forward. We've seen that when members crowd the room at bargaining sessions, Georgetown Admin takes note. Can you RSVP for the session next week, January 14th?

Our plans for Spring 2020

We are working our hardest to finalize our first union contract this spring. Ideally, we want to have our contract go into effect for the Fall. We are negotiating for an increase in the minimum stipend and hourly wage, vision and dental coverage, healthcare, and so much more that we know is necessary to fulfill our vision to THRIVE. This will depend on Admin responding reasonably to our proposals, and involvement from all members, including YOU!

We already saw that after our rally on November 11, Georgetown Admin publicly stated that they intend to reach an agreement with us by the end of the academic year. Of course, once we tentatively agree on the contract, it's up for membership to ratify it. We want Georgetown Admin to agree to our proposals soon enough to allow time for members to read, ask questions, and vote for the contract before the end of the semester. We need you to help make this happen by signing up to share your story and to pack the room during bargaining sessions, starting with January 14!

Sincerely yours,

GAGE Bargaining Committee

P.S. Here are those important links again:

Sign up to attend bargaining sessions

Sign up to share your story

Opinion Article in The Voice: Harassment reporting structures are broken - GAGE provides a solution

News Article in The Voice: GAGE rallies for labor contract

Pledges Delivered!

It was great to see everyone at the rally on Monday who showed up to take a stand for our Contract for the Whole Person! Read the news coverage of our rally.

It’s safe to say that we got the administration’s attention on Monday. Of course, our organizing can’t end there if we are going to secure important things like a living wage, affordable healthcare, and a fair grievance procedure. We are now ready to go full-steam ahead and get our contract done!

We’ve been circulating our pledge in support of our bargaining team and the larger idea that Georgetown grad workers deserve not just to survive, but to thrive. On Monday, November 11 we made our pledge public and sent a message to the GU administration: it is time to respect our bargaining proposals and agree to a contract that guarantees the health and security of all GU grad workers. We have made our pledge supporters public.

70% of Grads Skimp on Healthcare

As you walk through the front gates of campus today, you’ll see 1,000 flags.

In response to our bargaining survey, nearly 70% of grad workers at GU told us that they are skipping out or avoiding seeking healthcare because it is too expensive, or too hard to access. We have the power to change this, but we need everyone to make it happen.

We have been bargaining with the university for 8 months while grad workers continue to go without adequate healthcare. We can’t wait any longer.

Join us next Monday, November 11th, at noon in Red Square. We are coming together to show GU administrators that grad students aren’t going to wait, that we deserve affordable, accessible health care and living wages now. Our power is in numbers so let’s come out and show the school we mean business. RSVP here.

Other Events:

All week long, we are also hold a GAGE Food Drive of non-perishables items for Hoya Hub, Georgetown's first food pantry that is open to undergrad and grad students as well as faculty and staff. Find a list of locations to donate here.

We also invite you to join other GAGE members in walking out this Friday at 9am with Hoya for Immigrant Rights who will be leading a march to the Supreme Court as they begin to hear arguments on DACA.

Next Thursday, Nov. 14th, join other GAGE and other grad workers across the country in a National Day of Action in Defense of Grad Rights at 1pm at the National Labor Relations Board here in DC.

See you all soon and in solidarity,

GAGE Organizing Committee

GAGE Week of Action

We’ve been bargaining with the administration for 8 months now, and the truth is grad workers can’t wait any longer. It’s time to take action.

Yesterday, we put food drive boxes in departments and grad lounges around campus. All week long, we are collecting non-perishables for Hoya Hub, Georgetown's first food pantry that is open to undergrad and grad students as well as faculty and staff. We know from our bargaining survey that 45% of grad workers skimped on meals to save money for rent. Let’s deal with that by giving generously to Hoya Hub, and let’s also tackle the bigger issue by showing up to support our bargaining team.

Save the Dates

Join us next Monday, November 11th, at noon in Red Square. We are coming together to show GU administrators that grad students aren’t going to wait, that we deserve affordable health care and living wages now. Our power is in numbers so let’s come out and show the school we mean business. RSVP here.

We also invite you to join other GAGE members in walking out this Friday at 9am with Hoya for Immigrant Rights who will be leading a march to the Supreme Court as they begin to hear arguments on DACA.

See you all soon and in solidarity,

GAGE Organizing Committee

GAGE organizers prepare to set out food drive boxes on Georgetown campus.

Take Action so All of Us can THRIVE

Over 400 graduate workers have signed onto our platform pledge: We pledge to take action to win a Contract for the Whole Person, so that all of us can THRIVE.

Can we count on you to take action with us on November 11th to show Georgetown Administration that we need a Contract for the Whole Person now?

In our contract, we are fighting for:

Transparency. We want policies about our work responsibilities to be established clearly in our contract and applied fairly.

Health. We want healthcare that meets our needs, better access to mental healthcare, and dental and vision coverage.

Remuneration. We want livable wages so we don’t have to stress about making ends meet.

Inclusion. We want graduate workers of all backgrounds and identities to be welcomed and supported at Georgetown.

Vitality. We want dedicated resources to support our union and graduate worker community.

Equity. We want policies that ensure graduate workers who experience bias and undue hardship are treated fairly and get justice.

We have been bargaining our first contract with Georgetown since March, but the Administration is moving much slower than we need them to. We have yet to discuss wages or healthcare, two of our most important issues. We are going to have to show the Administration that we are willing to fight for what we need.

Our power is in our numbers. We’ve already seen that when we fill the room during bargaining meetings, the Administration responds to our urgency. So, we need as many people as possible to join in our action this November 11th. Imagine the strong message we could send to Administration if everyone who signed our THRIVE pledge- hundreds have already signed - took action together.

Will you take action with us? RSVP here for our action on November 11th.

GAGE Department Organizers will be reaching out to all our members one-on-one to talk about bargaining and ask you to commit to our November 11 action. As always, you are welcome to contact us at gageorganizing@gmail.com .

In solidarity,

GAGE Organizing Committee

P.S. Save the date for November 11th. Here’s the link to sign the pledge online!

Georgetown's 2019 Campus Climate Survey Results

On Tuesday, Georgetown University published its 2019 Campus Climate Survey. The results of this survey reinforce what we’ve known since we formed GAGE - harassment in the classroom and workplace significantly affects graduate students.  

35.7% of graduate women and 21% of graduate men reported being subject to some form of harassing behavior in 2018. Notably, 1 out of 4 of these graduate students were harassed by a faculty member or instructor.

What stands out to us the most about this report is that 85% of graduate students who were harassed in the classroom or on the job did not feel comfortable reporting the incident to Georgetown.

Georgetown’s own survey data validates what we’ve known since we formed our union: we need a fair grievance procedure that puts our safety first. Since this summer, our Bargaining Committee has been attempting to negotiate with university officials for a process that allows graduate workers to report and resolve workplace harassment with the support of our union, GAGE.

This grievance procedure would meet two critical needs:

• A clear timeline: Graduate workers can expect to meet with a department chair or graduate school representative within a specific number of days after reporting an issue.        

• A clear aim: to graduate workers feel safe and respected in the workplace, and ensure that the harasser stops their behavior. If a resolution cannot be found, an arbitrating body steps in to help both parties reach a solution.

Grad unions at other universities like University of Connecticut have used their grievance procedure to successfully resolve workplace harassment. But workers had to fight for these rights. At Harvard, graduate workers are currently voting to authorize a strike, in part because the university refuses to allow survivors of harassment to pursue their complaints through a third-party grievance procedure. These are basic workplace rights, but we have to fight for them.

Our bargaining committee is confident that we can secure a fair grievance procedure in our first contract- but we need the power of our membership— that means you.

There are two actions we are asking from members:

1) Sign our contract pledge to take actions to ensure we have a fair contract that respects us as workers. http://www.wearegage.org/our-pledge

2) Save the date for an action on November 11.

Details to follow. Stay tuned!

Follow GAGE on Facebook and Twitter

GAGE General Assembly Monday, September 20th

Call for Nominations for GAGE Bargaining Committee

Today we are opening nominations for the GAGE Bargaining Committee. 

Since being elected in February, our Bargaining Commitee has presented the administration with close to thirty proposals to raise stipends and hourly wages, to address sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace, to improve access to child care, and much more. As we explain in our Platform Pledge, the goal is a Contract for the Whole Person that empowers graduate employees and allows us to thrive during our time at Georgetown. 

To achieve our goal of a contract, we need a Bargaining Committee that can speak to the wide range of disciplines, demographic groups, and experiences of graduate employees. In particular, we need graduate employees in the STEM fields, international graduate employees, and Masters graduate employees to join the Bargaining Committee. 

We will have our GAGE General Assembly meeting next Monday, September 30 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM in Walsh 496. Here members of the Bargaining Committee will demystify the bargaining process and ask for membership input on contract proposals. We will also decide on actions that we can take together to achieve our Contract for the Whole Person. 

This meeting is an excellent opportunity for you to make your voice heard--and to consider whether you or one of your colleagues would be a good fit for the Bargaining Committee. You can RSVP here.

Nominations for the Bargaining Committee will be open from now until 5 PM on Sunday, October 13, 2019. Graduate workers who (1) is working as an RA, a TA, or an instructor of record this semester or may work in one of those roles in future semesters and (2) have signed a GAGE membership card are eligible to nominate and be nominated for election to the Bargaining Committee. Self-nominations are encouraged. The nomination and election process will be overseen by the Election Committee, which will consist of three volunteers from the Organizing Committee.

In closing, we thank the outgoing members of the Bargaining Committee for their work in shaping our contract proposals. Please do not hesitate to contact the members of the Election Committee at GAGEOrganizing@gmail.com with any questions you might have about the nominating process. We will see you in Walsh 496 at 5:30 PM on September 30!

TODAY GAGE's Annual Semester Kickoff Patio Party!

Your Bargaining Team met yesterday and will be negotiating again today! So far they've discussed topics from research integrity to a grievance procedure to protections for international graduate workers.  Come by to meet you elected bargaining committee members and hear updates on bargaining process!

Join us TODAY at our Annual Semester Kickoff Patio Party! Come meet fellow graduate workers on the Car Barn Patio as we prepare for a fantastic fall, get updates on our organizing efforts and enjoy some free food!

This will be our most important fall yet as we push for a fair contract that respects us as a valuable part of the Georgetown Community.

Feel free to bring your family and other graduate workers as we kickoff the semester!

More Info & RSVP here!

In Solidarity,

Your GAGE Organizing Committee

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