Georgetown RAs announce unionization with OPEIU 153!
With 83% Support, Georgetown University Resident Assistants File for Union Recognition with OPEIU 153
Today, Resident Assistants from Georgetown University delivered a letter to President John DeGioia notifying the University that 85 of its 103 Resident Assistants have signed union authorization cards. The Resident Assistants request voluntary recognition and are petitioning to be represented by Local 153 of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU).
Georgetown University Resident Assistants (RAs) are undergraduate student workers who have been hired by the university to live in its dormitories and apartments, overseeing over six thousand undergraduate residents. They seek to create an equal working relationship with the Office of Residential Living to secure better working and living conditions for all RAs.
In the past year, many RAs have encountered acute dysfunctioning within the course of their employment. Among them include flagrant hostility from a select number of Community Directors (CDs) — professional staff members responsible for supervising RAs. This year, many RAs have been disciplined disproportionately for infractions of the Resident Assistant Accountability Guidelines that are both frivolous and arbitrary. The enforcement of these policies has differed considerably across communities, exacerbating large and existing inequities in the RA experience. These infractions have been cited as reasons for the extraordinary decision not to rehire a small group of RAs, including some who have been employed as RAs for multiple years.
Georgetown University’s Resident Assistants face systemic structural problems, too. These issues include an arbitrary housing placement process that lacks transparency, a restricted opportunity to participate in study abroad programs — even when such programs are required for an RA’s academic study — and a regressive pay structure that significantly reduces the total compensation of RAs receiving financial aid. RAs have expressed a desire to change these conditions for years, engaging in good-faith dialogue with the Office of Residential Living and University administration.
“The RA role is one particularly close to my heart. We occupy a uniquely special place on this campus, and like few others, we have the capacity to fundamentally change residents’ lives. Yet the RA role is not without faults. At Georgetown, it is one defined by significant inequity, both in responsibilities and compensation. While some RAs oversee one hundred residents or more, others oversee fewer than twenty-five. Some RAs must serve on-call an average of six nights or more per month, while some fewer than twice per month. These differences are not reflected in pay, which varies considerably with financial aid. The experience, simply put, is unequal. Fortunately, a union can change that.”
- Sam Lovell, Georgetown University Resident Assistant
“When I applied to be an RA, I never would have imagined that my biggest challenge in the role would be seeing my coworkers attempt again and again to raise serious concerns with management only to be dismissed and belittled out of hand. I myself was told that I would not be rehired due to mistakes that were later revealed to be the fault of professional staff in the Office of Residential Living. Advocating for myself, and eventually regaining my job, became solely my burden to bear. Management has made it clear that we’re dispensable to them; that’s why our contract stipulates that RAs ‘may be terminated by… the university at any time without notice or cause.’ It’s a hard reality to parse, especially when I’ve come to love being an RA and couldn’t imagine my time at Georgetown without it. By unionizing, I’m hoping we can receive the respect we deserve as human beings.”
- Izzy Wagener, Georgetown University Resident Assistant
Yet the RA experience remains fundamentally unchanged — and not for a lack of trying.
RAs have attempted to motivate progress through existing means. Some have volunteered on the Student Staff Council, a committee of RAs that collaborates with the Office of Residential Living to address issues related to the RA experience. Others have met individually with executive leadership. Still others have taken their issues to Human Resources and the Office of the Student Ombuds.
Despite collecting semesterly evaluations from RAs regarding the performance of Community Directors, these evaluations have been trivialized by some and have failed to ensure accountability.
Whatever the means, the results have proven the same: These established processes have not yielded meaningful change nor have they protected RAs.
“Working as an RA has been nothing short of a transformative experience for me during my time on the Hilltop. However, I highly attribute this to the positive relationship I’ve formed with my Community Director. Regrettably, not all RAs share my experience of such a supportive and uplifting work environment. Instead, many are forced to endure the brunt of community responsibilities with little to no support from their Community Director. If anything, the bulk of challenges faced by RAs stems from many of Residential Living’s professional staff. Coming together collectively, I hope some managerial accountability may finally be realized.”
- Elise Merchant, Georgetown University Resident Assistant
“What impacts RAs the most on a day-to-day basis is the vast discrepancies in the quality of Georgetown’s thirteen Community Directors. While some are highly invested in their roles, consistently advocating for the needs of their employees and residents, the actions of others have raised significant concerns that go beyond mere unprofessionalism. It strikes at the very core of organizational integrity, employee morale, and the safety and well-being of those working under these Community Directors.
Instances of Community Directors confronting students and threatening their financial aid packages, inaction in the face of security risks, and the mishandling of critical student mental health crises present a grave concern and showcase a disturbing abdication of responsibility — one that can only be addressed by a union.”
- Jessica Solomon, Georgetown University Resident Assistant
As a result, their pleas continue to fall on deaf ears. By unionizing, the Georgetown Resident Assistant Coalition (GRAC) hopes to change that.
“Our effort to unionize is not a personal attack against any administrator or employee; it is a response to the systemic hostility RAs encounter at Georgetown. Our job — and for some, an affordable Georgetown education — is completely dependent on whether a CD likes you or not. Over the last few weeks, we have heard reports of CDs arbitrarily targeting RAs they personally dislike. Today, the RAs of Georgetown have decided to take collective action because we love our job, we love helping our residents, and we love Georgetown. Ultimately, we believe in a Georgetown where the students who support everyone are themselves supported.”
- Ulises Olea Tapia, Georgetown University Resident Assistant
“My fantastic freshman year RA Sam Lovell inspired me to become a Resident Assistant and give back to this crucial support system for our fellow students. However, despite the good work that my coworkers regularly do, many have expressed valid grievances to their Community Directors only to be met with passivity, if not outright hostility. My support for unionizing is an extension of the dedication I have to my job and my residents; this level of administrative support enables us to ensure the safety and comfort of our communities, as it recognizes our right to fair and equitable working conditions.”
- Aayush Murarka, Georgetown University Resident Assistant
“Rather than receiving a stipend, we receive compensation solely in the form of comped room and board. Free room and board is a huge draw to the RA position, and rightly so, but its implementation is uneven. Instead of stacking with financial aid, RA benefits replace it. This means that students with substantial aid packages see little to no impact on their bill, leaving them essentially unpaid. RAs deserve a more equitable compensation structure, so every RA can be paid for the work they do. A union can make that happen.”
- Becca Haley, Georgetown University Resident Assistant
There is an informational meeting scheduled for Sunday, March 24th at 5:30 PM in White Gravenor 201A. RAs will have an opportunity to learn more about the Georgetown Resident Assistant Coalition, meet members of the Organizing Committee, and ask questions. Georgetown RAs and community members alike are also encouraged to learn more about GRAC at its Linktree.
Disclaimer: The Resident Assistants quoted in this press release do not speak on behalf of or wish to otherwise represent the Office of Residential Living at Georgetown University.