Georgetown Workers Win Contract

More than 300 maintenance, service and facility management workers at Georgetown University ratified a new three-year contract last week, reports the workers’ union, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East. The new contract includes a two percent wage increase every six months over the next three years, increased funding for new and existing training, decreases in workers’ healthcare premiums, and the reclassification of weekend workers as bargaining unit workers with benefits. The contract also establishes the creation of new labor/management committees to give workers a voice on the pension process, training, and the monitoring of subcontractors. "The labor/management committees were a big win for us," said Leonard Green, a floor care specialist at Georgetown for 24 years. "Before, management could do what it wanted – now we have a voice in our pension and training funds."