October 22, 2018

Dear Members of the Georgetown Graduate Student Assistant Community:

Earlier today, we shared the below message announcing an election to determine whether graduate student assistants will be represented by a union at Georgetown University. You have the right to vote in this election and make your voice heard. You are receiving this follow-up message because you are one of the nearly 1,100 graduate student assistants who are in the collective bargaining unit proposed by the Georgetown Alliance of Graduate Employees (GAGE) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) – the union with which GAGE has affiliated.

Georgetown will remain neutral in the election. Since this vote will affect your future and the future of students like you, we encourage you to educate yourself about unionization and make your voice heard by voting. You can learn more about unionization by visiting gradunion.georgetown.edu.

You can vote Nov. 5-8 between 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. by visiting one of the following locations and presenting your GU ID or any government-issued identification:

  • ICC – McGhee Library in SFS, on the 3rd floor, main level
  • Lauinger Library – Millennium Room
  • Medical Center – GF11 in the Preclinical Science Building
  • Regents Hall – Conference Room 451

It’s particularly important that you make your voices heard because the election will be determined by a majority of eligible voters who actually show up and vote. If AFT/GAGE is elected, you will be represented by AFT/GAGE even if you do not vote. AFT will determine dues after negotiation of a collective bargaining agreement, and GAGE estimates that dues will be 1-2 percent of the annual stipend you receive from the university or 1-2 percent of your earnings through university service if you are a master’s student.

If AFT/GAGE wins the election, AFT/GAGE will be your exclusive bargaining agent for all matters relating to stipend levels, wage rates, hours, and other Mandatory Subjects of Bargaining as defined in the Election Agreement. Georgetown University and its advisory committees (like the Graduate School Executive Committee) would continue to work with you on separate academic matters, but would no longer be able to work with you directly on matters covered by the bargaining agreement unless authorized by the union.

We recognize that there are some members of our community who support the formation of a graduate student assistant union and others who do not. As such, the University will not tell you how to vote in the election or take a position on unionization. Instead, we encourage you to learn more about unionization at gradunion.georgetown.edu and to engage in thoughtful dialogue with other members of our community. If you have specific questions about our current policies and benefits or what subjects could be covered by a collective bargaining agreement, please contact Vice Dean Sheila McMullan.

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