April 2, 2018

Dear Members of the Georgetown Community,

We write to update you regarding graduate student unionization efforts at Georgetown. The University today reached an agreement with the Georgetown Alliance of Graduate Employees (GAGE), a group of graduate students affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), which would allow for an election this spring among eligible students on whether they wish to be represented by a union.

Today’s agreement creates a new framework recognizing that graduate students’ relationship with the University is fundamentally an educational one, while also responding to their desire to have a stronger voice in the terms of their service as Teaching Assistants, Research Assistants, and Teaching Associates (“Graduate Student Assistants”).

GAGE/AFT approached Georgetown University with a proposal for a voluntary election agreement that would allow for an election to be held and overseen by a neutral third party, the American Arbitration Association, rather than pursuing an election under the traditional National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) process. Since then, Georgetown and GAGE/AFT have met a number of times, resulting in today’s agreement on procedures for an election and, if the election is successful, for collective bargaining.

The University engaged with AFT/GAGE’s proposal and consulted with faculty members involved in graduate education, elected faculty leaders, the Provost’s Faculty Advisory Committee, deans of schools affected by the request for a union, and program directors and chairs of departments with large Ph.D. programs. Should graduate students vote to be represented by GAGE/AFT, academic matters such as admissions decisions, curriculum and degree requirements, organization of programs, evaluation of graduate students’ academic progress, and assignment of research and teaching assistant roles will not be subject to negotiation. On Friday, the Executive Committee of the Graduate School, the principal academic policy-making body of the Graduate School, passed a resolution in support of this approach.

The agreement also honors the desire of graduate students to have a greater say in the terms under which they serve as Graduate Student Assistants. Subjects for bargaining would encompass average service hours, stipend levels, benefits, and grievance procedures for service-related matters.

The agreement allows eligible Graduate Student Assistants (those enrolled in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences graduate degree programs – Ph.D. and Master’s – and who also hold service titles as Ph.D. Research Assistants, Ph.D. Teaching Assistants, Ph.D. Teaching Associates, Graduate Research Assistants, Graduate Teaching Assistants, Student Research Assistants, and Student Teaching Assistants) to determine if they want to be represented by a union. If a majority of those who vote in the election vote in favor of unionization, GAGE/AFT would become the collective bargaining representative of all eligible Graduate Student Assistants, including those who vote against the union or do not vote at all. We encourage all eligible Graduate Student Assistants to educate themselves and participate and vote in this process so their voices are heard.

Regardless of the election outcome, Georgetown is committed to continuing to enhance the resources provided to graduate students. Already, the Graduate School has significantly increased doctoral stipends since the 2011-2012 academic year, increased the level of non-service support during coursework years, capped teaching at one course per semester, opened new graduate student spaces on campus, and increased recognition awards for graduate-student teaching and research efforts. These initiatives, along with ongoing discussions with graduate students on health insurance offerings, will continue regardless of the election outcome.

We will notify eligible Graduate Student Assistants upon determination of the date(s) during which an election will be held. In the meantime, we encourage all members of our community to review the election agreement, learn more about graduate student unionization at Georgetown here and read additional background and answers to frequently-asked-questions (FAQs) here. Faculty members are encouraged to express their views and talk with students about unionization, consistent with these guidelines.

Georgetown will continue its efforts to improve conditions for graduate students if a union is not elected, and will bargain in good faith if one is elected.

We are committed to working together to ensure there is open and serious dialogue. Thank you for being a part of it.

Sincerely,

Robert M. Groves, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President and Provost

Edward B. Healton, M.D.
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences and Executive Dean