Dear Graduate Teaching/Research/Instructional Assistants:
You may be aware that the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Monday, October 7, seeking to represent doctoral and masters students at GW who are currently serving as graduate teaching, research, or instructional assistants ("graduate assistants”).
The university will follow the processes set forth by the NLRB, including its election procedures, which allow eligible voters to make their choice about union representation via a democratic and secret ballot election overseen by the NLRB. You can find more information about the election process and related issues here. We believe that the decision to be represented by a union or not is a personal decision for each individual the union seeks to represent. A union representation election is determined by the majority of those who vote, not by the majority of those eligible to vote, so we encourage you to vote and make your voice heard, regardless of your position on unionization.
Graduate assistants are an important part of our GW community, advancing knowledge, providing leadership, and contributing significantly to our growing reputation as a research institution. We embrace our mission to train the next generation of scholars, ensuring you develop the skills you will need as academics and professionals through our training courses and programs, and that you are supported through our graduate assistant policies.
Since the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs (OGPA) was established in 2022, we have worked to enhance the graduate assistant experience at GW on a variety of fronts, including creating a dedicated website; establishing new minimum compensation amounts and position titles for graduate assistants; increasing the health insurance subsidy for fully-funded graduate assistants; increasing the baseline package value for fellowships funded through the Office of Graduate Student Assistantships and Fellowships; enhancing programming for events such as the Three Minute Thesis Competition and Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week; and expanding a policy that offers more flexibility to graduate assistants to work up to 40 hours per week, depending on their funding level.
You play an important role in our classrooms, labs, and research spaces, and we are grateful for your contributions to our scholarly community. Whether you support unionization or not, we remain committed to working together to ensure that you have a meaningful and successful experience at GW.
The Notice of Election will be distributed shortly. We will continue to keep you informed and work to answer your questions through this important process.
Sincerely,
Christopher Alan Bracey
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Professor of Law
Suresh Subramaniam
Vice Provost for Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs
Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering