Just Employment Policy for Georgetown University
Georgetown University, as a Catholic and Jesuit institution, is committed to providing fair and competitive compensation packages for University employees and full-time contract workers who provide services on its campuses in Washington, D.C.
This wage is based on a variety of factors, including input from the Advisory Committee on Business Practices, the salary and benefits structure of Georgetown employees, existing University collective bargaining agreements and the University’s overall financial resources and ability to sustain academic excellence.
In principle, this policy is designed to provide a floor for minimum total compensation appropriate for full-time Georgetown workers in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area; takes into account the costs of housing, health care, child care, transportation, taxes, food and other basic necessities, known as a living wage or just wage, as well as the need to compensate employees without jeopardizing services or jobs; reflects Georgetown’s employee compensation system and existing union contracts; provides an ongoing mechanism to evaluate employee compensation; and ensures that, where appropriate, hourly wage earners will receive equivalent pay for equivalent work.
Given these principles, Georgetown will increase total compensation for full-time contract workers over 24 months:
- FY 2006 (July 1, 2005) Increase total compensation to a minimum of $13.00 per hour, an increase from the current minimum of $11.33
- By FY 2008 (July 1, 2007) increase total compensation to a minimum of $14.00 per hour
- After FY 2008, compensation packages will be adjusted annually taking into consideration Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers in the Baltimore-Washington Area (CPI-W) and regional labor market conditions.
- As of October 1, 2024, the minimum total compensation requirement is $20.43 per hour.
This policy enables the University to provide regular compensation increases for all full-time employees; recognizes negotiated union agreements already in place; addresses the need to adjust salaries to prevent compression and layoffs; provides a substantially greater total compensation package than called for by existing metro-area wage ordinances; is fiscally responsible and enables Georgetown to sustain academic excellence; and recognizes the value of making annual adjustments.
This policy affirms Georgetown’s commitment that everyone in the Georgetown community has a right to a safe and harassment-free environment, that all working members have the right to freely associate and organize, and that the University will respect the rights of employees to vote for or against union representation without intimidation, unjust pressure, undue delay or hindrance in accordance with applicable law. Georgetown will provide, and will seek commitments from its contract employers that they will provide, full-time jobs when possible and part-time or temporary work only when necessary.
This policy commits Georgetown to either directly provide, or require its contractors to provide, certain types of benefits to all of Georgetown workers. These include:
- Access to appropriate grievance procedures.
- Equal access to Georgetown community resources that are regularly made available to directly-hired employees: library privileges, English as a Second Language courses, Georgetown University Transportation Shuttles, and general financial planning information.
Georgetown will attempt to avoid employee job loss as the result of implementation of this policy. If Georgetown no longer contracts work to a subcontracting firm, the University will prioritize employment of any workers who presently work under those subcontractors at Georgetown University, to the extent legally possible.
Finally, Georgetown commits that to the extent its contractual arrangements permit it to do so, it will disclose pertinent economic details to the appropriate university bodies, such as the Advisory Committee of Business Practices, regarding the implementation of this policy, including wage scales, benefit packages, grievance procedures, and neutrality policies.
To the extent appropriate, Georgetown University will revise all existing contracts to reflect and include this policy before they are renewed, and all new contracts will reflect and include this policy.
The Advisory Committee on Business Practices will continue as an ongoing body with its current charter.