+ Who is covered by GAGE’s 2020-2023 contract?

All graduate students who are enrolled in the Graduate School who work as PhD research assistants, PhD teaching assistants, PhD teaching associates, Graduate research assistants, Graduate teaching assistants, Student research assistants, or Student teaching assistants. In our contract, these positions are collectively referred to as “Graduate Student Assistants,” but we also refer to them here as graduate workers. This contract covers not only members of the union who have signed a membership card, but all grad workers in these roles.

+ I work as a graduate student assistant and currently make more than $32,500 a year, or more than $19.50 per hour will my stipend or wages be lowered as a result of the contract?

No. Our contract negotiated a baseline stipend for PhD student assistant stipends, and a minimum hourly pay rate for hourly graduate workers. Departments may compensate above this rate, and our contract stipulates explicitly that no one will have their stipend or hourly rate reduced because of our contract.

+ Are there any resources available to graduate workers struggling to pay their out-of-pocket maximum, or other medical costs?

Yes! They can apply for financial help from the Emergency Assistance Fund (see below) or the Mutual Aid Fund.

+ When does coverage start?

Coverage starts October 1st.

+ I tried to sign up for voluntary dental benefits through the link above, but was told there would be a charge to my student account. Will this charge be removed?

Yes! We encourage all PhD students to opt into voluntary dental benefits. After the charge appears on your account, the Graduate School will add funds to cover the charge.

+ If I’m on a non-service year, will the university pay for my dental benefits?

Yes! Dental insurance is covered for all PhD students who receive a stipend from the University, regardless of the source. That means that whether you are a TA, RA, or service-free, your dental insurance will be paid for by the University. Similar to how it works for our tuition reimbursement, a charge will hit your student account but a "scholarship" will then be provided to cover this cost.

+ Can I go to CAPS for short term treatment, or referral to an outside provider if I am not on the Premier Plan?

Yes. All Graduate Student Assistants shall be eligible to receive short-term treatment from the University’s Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS), regardless of whether they are enrolled in the Premier Plan. This includes referral to an appropriate outside mental health care provider.

+ What is GAGE doing to improve mental health care on campus?

The Labor Management Committee is meeting regularly in order to accomplish several goals laid out in our contract. We are working to expand our network by soliciting more providers to move from out-of-network to in-network, to increase staff capacity, to provide services that are sensitive to the diversity of graduate students, and to develop an up-to-date directory of external mental healthcare providers both in and out of network, comprising therapists, psychiatrists and combined therapists that meet a diversity of needs.

+ Which emergencies qualify?

Graduate workers can apply for funds if they experience financial burdens due to, for example, caring for a serious medical condition or that of an immediate family member, bereavement of an immediate family member, physical damage to a residence, and damage to material resources required for work, such as a computer. Georgetown does not provide paid medical leave for hourly workers, but hourly workers who have lost income because of illness or injury can apply for compensation from the EAF. We encourage all graduate workers facing extreme financial burdens due to an emergency to apply.

+ How much funding is available?

Our contract ensures that the university will budget an amount equal to $50.00 per graduate student assistant per year. Depending on the number of graduate student assistants employed by the university, we expect this total will range from $38,000 to $50,000 per year.

+ How do I apply?

You can request funds and read more about the EAF here. Please contact vicepresident@wearegage.org if you have any questions about the process!

+ Are there limits to the quantity of funds that I can request?

You can request up to $1,000 from the EAF once per academic year. If that does not meet your need, we strongly encourage you to apply for additional money from the GAGE Mutual Aid Fund, which will also be up and running soon!

+ What is a grievance?

Graduate workers can file a grievance if they think that the terms of our contract are being violated. For example, if they are being asked to work more than 15 hours a week as a teaching assistant, or if they are asked to perform work that falls outside the scope of TA responsibilities outlined in our contract. The grievance process is designed to ensure that the terms of our contract are being met, and to resolve any contract violations promptly, respectfully and effectively.

+ What should I do if I believe my contract is being violated?

Our contract encourages graduate workers in this position to start by raising their concern with their immediate supervisor and trying to resolve the issue informally. For example, if you think that the workload you have been assigned as a PhD teaching assistant requires more than 15 hours a week of work, you should email or speak to your adviser and make sure that they know the updated limit on hours worked. If you are unable to reach an agreement with your supervisor informally, you can proceed to reach out to your union representative and work together to submit a formal grievance to your department chair or program director.

+ Who can act as my union representative?

Any member of the union can act as your union representative, but GAGE will provide training for those interested in assisting with grievances. We encourage you to start by contacting your department organizer. If you aren’t sure who that is, you can contact your elected grievance officer or your elected lead organizer.

+ How long do I have to file a grievance?

You must submit your written grievance to the department chair or program director within 25 working days following reasonable knowledge of the facts giving rise to the grievance.

+ What happens after I file a grievance?

Your department chair or program director must meet with you and your union representative within 15 working days of submission of the grievance, at a mutually convenient time for all parties, in order to attempt to resolve the grievance. Ideally, all parties will reach a resolution, and your grievance will be answered in writing and sent to the Union Grievance Committee within 15 working days of the meeting.

+ What happens if a graduate worker and department chair/ program director fail to arrive at a mutually satisfactory resolution after their first meeting?

After consulting with your union representative, you may submit a written appeal to the Graduate School within 25 working days after the university answers your original grievance in writing. Another meeting must take place within 15 working days with a designee of the Graduate School. If your grievance still cannot be resolved, you may appeal to outside arbitration within 25 working days of receiving a written answer from the Graduate School’s designee. Our goal is to resolve grievances before they go to arbitration, if possible.

+ What should I do if I am experiencing discrimination or harrassment in the workplace?

If you have a complaint to lodge against a faculty or staff member, you now have several options. You can report this conduct to the university’s Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Affirmative Action (IDEAA), and consult with them about whether you wish to initiate an investigation. Additionally or alternatively, you can request that interim measures be taken to ensure your safety and comfort in the workplace as soon as possible. You can request interim measures prior to an investigation, in lieu of investigation, or while an investigation is taking place.

+ What are interim measures?

We encourage graduate workers to request interim measures that are tailored to their needs. These may include but are not restricted to: requests to change one’s work or class schedule, requests to restrict contact between parties involved in a complaint, requests for firm behavioral guidelines be given to a faculty member by the department chair, or requests for mediation. Interim measures do not include the discipline of a faculty or staff member, because this would require a completed investigation by IDEAA.

+ How do I request interim measures? And what happens next?

Graduate workers can request interim measures by contacting their department chair, program director or relevant unit head, IDEAA, any Title IX coordinator. This university representative, the graduate worker, and a union representative if desired will meet within 10 working days of the request. The Title IX Coordinator or Deputy Coordinator will be notified that this request has been made, and may participate in the meeting. A university representative will then provide a written response to the graduate worker’s request within 5 working days following the meeting. All parties will protect the confidentiality of the information related to the graduate worker’s request.

+ What if the university representative and the graduate worker cannot agree about what interim measures are appropriate?

If the graduate worker is unsatisfied with the response to their request, they may appeal within 15 working days to the Title IX Coordinator, who will then convene a committee consisting of the Title IX Coordinators, the Vice Dean of the Graduate School or designee, and a graduate student assistant who is a union representative and who has received university training on Title IX procedures. This committee will be authorized to make a final and binding determination of the appropriate interim measures to be taken based on the original request. The committee will meet within 15 working days of the graduate worker’s appeal, and will reach a written decision within 15 working days following the meeting.

+ What should I do if I have a complaint of discrimination or harrassment against another student?

Complaints against another student should be reported to a Title IX Coordinator or to the university’s Office of Student Conduct.

+ Are hourly workers eligible for this benefit?

Yes! For graduate workers who are compensated hourly, the two weeks of compensation will be based on the average number of hours that they were expected to work each week.

+ My summer course was canceled due to low enrollment, and I wasn’t given two weeks notice. What should I do?

Our contract states that the university must provide you with an alternative appointment, or compensate you for two weeks worth of work performed at your expected pay rate. Contact the Graduate School within 25 days of your course’s cancelation to ensure that you are reassigned or compensated.

+ Before I would just email my supervisor to request personal days. Has anything changed?

Answer Here You do not need to follow any new procedures to request personal days. However, if your PI or supervisor denies your request for a personal day for which you have reasonable justification, you can point them towards your contract. If you believe your request is being unreasonably denied after talking with your supervisor, you can file a grievance. Taking personal days will not reduce your stipend if you are a doctoral student assistant.

+ Can hourly workers request personal days?

Yes. Hourly graduate workers won’t be compensated for the time they miss due to reasonable justification. However, our contract stipulates that hourly workers who need to take personal days will be given opportunities to perform work on other days, to the extent possible. Grad workers who miss paychecks can also apply to receive emergency compensation from the Emergency Assistance Fund.

+ What is medical leave from work, and how is it different from a voluntary medical leave of absence?

All graduate students are eligible to apply for voluntary medical leaves of absence and personal leaves of absence from their academic duties, as defined in the Graduate Bulletin. Our contract now allows graduate assistants to take medical leave from their teaching and research assistantship work, without requesting a voluntary medical leave of absence from the graduate school. Doctoral graduate assistants are eligible for up to six weeks of paid medical leave from work, during which time they are relieved of assistantship duties. MA graduate assistants are eligible for up to six weeks of unpaid medical leave from work. Medical leaves may be taken for pregnancy, surgery, severe and prolonged illness, or other significant health issues.

+ Who is eligible for medical leaves from work? Why take medical leave from work?

-If you are a PhD student that has finished your course work and you serve as a TA, RA, or teaching associate, you may be unable to fulfill your teaching or research obligations due to illness for 1-6 weeks, but still be able make progress on your dissertation. In such cases, requesting a paid medical leave from assistantship work is a better option than requesting an unpaid voluntary medical leave of absence from the graduate school.

-If you are a PhD student still in coursework, and you serve as a TA or RA, you may be unable to fulfill your assistantship duties for 1-6 weeks due to illness, but still able to fulfill your academic obligations. In such cases, requesting a paid medical leave from assistantship work is a better option than requesting an unpaid voluntary medical leave of absence from the graduate school.

-Alternatively, PhD students who serve as TAs, RAs, or Teaching Associates may take an unpaid medical leave from work, and defer their period of support by one semester.

-If you are a MA graduate assistant, or are compensated on an hourly basis, you may take an unpaid medical leave of absence from work, without requesting a voluntary medical leave of absence from the graduate school. This is a good option for those who are unable to perform their assistantship duties for 1-6 weeks, but are able to fulfill their academic duties by requesting extensions or incompletes.

+ Will I maintain my coverage by the Premier Plan if I take a medical leave from work?

Yes!

+ How do I request a medical leave from work?

You must contact both the graduate school and the student health center, and may be asked to provide medical documentation.

+ Am I responsible for finding a substitute teacher or research assistant if I take medical leave from work?

No. The university will make arrangements to cover your assignments during your medical leave, if necessary.

+ Can a parent take parental leave if they did not give birth to a new child?

Yes. Parents must simply provide documentation to the Graduate School showing that they are the full-time primary care-giver of a newborn child or a child 5 years old or younger who has been newly placed under their care.

+ How do I request parental leave?

Submit a written request to the Graduate School’s Dean for Academic Affairs at least three months before the expected start of your leave. If there are extenuating circumstances, this three month period may not be required.

+ What if I’m expecting to be the primary caregiver of a new child in the summer, when I am not employed by the University? Can I defer my parental leave to the beginning of the fall semester?

Yes. Our contract lets doctoral student assistants take their 6 weeks of paid parental leave within four months following the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child.

+ Are graduate workers eligible to apply for DC Paid Family Leave, which guarantees all DC employees eight weeks of paid parental leave to bond with a new child?

Our union has always asserted that graduate student assistants are employees. We encourage our members to apply for additional paid family leave benefits through the DOES Office of Paid Family Leave. However, GAGE does not have the right to file a grievance if additional paid family leave is denied.

+ Can graduate workers take medical leave in conjunction with parental leave, for example if they experience pregnancy complications?

Yes. In addition to 6 weeks of paid parental leave, doctoral student assistants can take up to 6 weeks of paid medical leave from work for pregnancy, surgery, prolonged illness or any significant health issue, so long as this does not interfere with their academic duties. If recovery from medical complications lasts more than six weeks, graduate workers can take unpaid medical leave (of a semester or more) prior to or following the birth or placement of a child under their full-time primary care. This unpaid leave option is also available to masters students. Doctoral assistants who take unpaid medical leave (for example, due to pregnancy complications) can defer up to a full semester of their guaranteed funding from the Graduate School. Graduate workers who are supported by external research grants, fellowships or awards, however, must follow the policies of their funding agency.

+ What are my options if I want to take more than six weeks to bond with my new child?

You can take six weeks of paid parental leave the semester in which the birth or placement of your child occurs, and then take the remainder of the semester as unpaid parental leave, as long as this request is made three months in advance. Alternatively, you can take six weeks of paid parental leave the semester in which the birth or placement of a child occurs, and then take an unpaid parental leave the following semester. The Graduate School will defer and extend your period of funding by up to one full semester for unpaid parental leave. You may additionally request up to two consecutive semesters of unpaid personal leave from the Graduate School, for reasons laid out in the Graduate Bulletin. This time off does not extend your period of guaranteed funding. International students should consult with the Office of Global Services before requesting unpaid leave.

+ Will I maintain my coverage by the Premier Plan if I take paid or unpaid parental leave?

Yes!

+ What constitutes a serious health condition and who counts as an immediate family member?

Spouses, parents, legal guardians, children, grandparents and siblings, or anyone who stands in the same relationship count as immediate family members. A serious health condition is defined in our contract as a physical or mental illness, injury or impairment that requires inpatient care in a hospital, hospice or residential healthcare facility, or continuing treatment at home by a healthcare provider or other competent individual.

+ Are graduate workers eligible to apply for DC Paid Family Leave, which guarantees all DC employees six weeks of paid leave to care for a sick family member?

Our union has always asserted that graduate student assistants are employees. We encourage our members to apply for additional paid family leave benefits through the DOES Office of Paid Family Leave. However, GAGE does not have the right to file a grievance if additional paid family leave is denied.

+ Will I maintain my coverage by the Premier Plan if I take family leave?

Yes!

+ What is the Labor Management Committee?

The LMC meets at least once a semester (but preferably more often) to make sure that our contract is being implemented. 5 members on the LMC are members representing the union, and 5 are administrators representing the university. The LMC aims to reach consensus and provide recommendations to the university.

+ What is the LMC working on now?

Our 2020-2023 contract tasked the LMC with making important improvements to mental health benefits. (see mental health benefits for more info). The LMC is also meeting regularly to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on our working conditions, and to ensure our workplace is safe.