Georgetown grad workers request union recognition

Hundreds of Georgetown graduate employees rallied on campus Wednesday, delivering a letter to Georgetown President John DeGioia asking the school to voluntarily recognize their union and begin bargaining a first contract. The Georgetown Alliance of Graduate Employees, affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, is comprised of teaching assistants, teaching associates and research assistants from across Georgetown’s 33 departments. “Grads need living wages, adequate healthcare, and stronger protections against harassment and discrimination,” said Hailey Huget, a sixth-year graduate worker in the philosophy department. “We call upon Georgetown to live up to its Jesuit values—which affirm the dignity of labor and workers’ right to organize—and grant us a seat at the table to bargain a fair contract.” The graduate employees were joined at the letter drop by representatives from a wide range of campus groups, including the Georgetown University Graduate Student Government, the Georgetown Doctoral Students Coalition and the Georgetown Solidarity Committee. Read more here.

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