Highlights of our

UNION CONTRACTs

On May 1, 2020, GAGE reached a tentative agreement on our first contract with Georgetown University. Read AFT’s Press Release. GAGE members ratified our contract with a 99% YES vote! Members voted online on May 6 and May 7, 2020, details here.

On August 10, 2023, GAGE reached a tentative agreement on our second contract with Georgetown University. It was ratified on August 18th with a 99% YES vote!

Compensation and Financial Security

First Contract:

  • Raise 9-month stipend minimum for PhD Assistants by 12% from $29,000 to $32,500.

  • Raise 12-month stipend minimum for PhD Assistants by 14.5% from $31,000 to $35,500.

  • Raise hourly wage minimum for Masters Assistants by 44.4% from $13.50/hour to $19.50/hour.

  • Guaranteed 2% annual raises for all Graduate Student Assistants.

  • Established an Emergency Assistance Fund of approximately $50,000 from Georgetown’s annual budget.

Second Contract

  • Raise 9-month stipend minimum for PhD Assistants by 12% from $33,800 to $38,000 + $1,100 summer supplement.

  • Raise 12-month stipend minimum for PhD Assistants by 12% from $36,800 to $41,420.

  • Raise hourly wage minimum for Masters Assistants by 8% from $20.29/hour to $22/hour.

  • Guaranteed 2.5% annual raises for all PhD Assistants.

  • Guaranteed 3% annual raises for all Masters Assistants.

  • Double the Emergency Assistance Fund within two years.

Health Benefits

First Contract

  • New dental insurance plan that makes both preventative care and major procedures more affordable. Georgetown will pay the full cost of dental premiums for all PhD Assistants.

  • Secured eligibility to enroll in a vision insurance plan with a low monthly premium.

  • Reduced the out-of-pocket maximum on the Student Health Insurance from $5,000 to $3,000 for individuals and from $10,000 to $6,000 for families in network.

  • New mental health care navigation services and a new dedicated task force to solicit new therapists, psychiatrists, and combined therapists to join the Student Health Insurance network. Contractually, Georgetown has committed to expanding the diversity and capacity at CAPS.

Graduate Employee Protections

First Contract

  • New union procedure to report sexual harassment or discrimination which would provide immediate solutions and an additional reporting option to Title IX or IDEAA.

  • Robust grievance procedure to report and resolve issues regarding improper work requirements, pay discrepancies, or violations of rights and benefits guaranteed by the contract.

  • Protection of undocumented graduate employees from prosecution on the basis of immigration status.

Second Contract

  • Guaranteed faster visa processing for international graduate employees

  • Increased protections for undocumented graduate employees, particularly around privacy

Workplace Systems and Guaranteed Policies

First Contract

  • Change the medical leave policy from unpaid to up to six weeks paid for Ph.D. Assistants.

  • Change the parental leave policy from up to six weeks immediately after birth/placement to up to six weeks paid leave within four months of birth/placement for Ph.D. Assistants.

  • New family medical leave policy guarantees up to one semester of unpaid leave with a commensurate extension of funding upon return to work.

  • New policy for paid personal days off of assistantship work and guaranteed opportunity to reschedule hourly work or apply for Emergency Assistance Funds to make up lost wages.

  • Establish the GAGE Labor-Management Committee to ensure implementation of the contract and maintain dialogues with the University Administration.

Second Contract

  • Increase the parental leave policy from six weeks to eight weeks of paid leave within four months of birth/placement for Ph.D. Assistants.