Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

News in Brief

The intersection of 23rd and G Streets, a part of The George Washington University’s campus, has been occupied by labor rights protesters since the beginning of the week, potentially disrupting student and academic life at GWU.

The groups, organized by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council of Carpenters, are protesting Anning Johnson, a drywall contractor working on renovations to the Charles E. Smith Center. The company is not paying taxes, insurance, Social Security or worker’s compensation for its workers, who it labels as independent contractors, according to The GW Hatchet.

GWU administrators believe these protests to be against the company, not the university itself, and that this is not a unique situation.

“It is our understanding that the protest taking place on 23rd and G Streets concerns union-labor issues not involving the University and is similar to many other protests that regularly occur in the District,” said Michelle Sherrard, associate director of media relations at GWU.

The protests are expected to last another week or so, according to The Hatchet. While they are not felt by all students, they do have a presence for students living in the area.

“I noticed some kids complaining about them on Facebook before school started but since then I haven’t seen or heard anything,” Hannah Eibensteiner, a GWU sophomore said.

The protesters, who create attention by beating on drums and cowbells, are a nuisance for students living near 23rd and G Streets.

“They don’t really get in my way, but they wake me up in the morning, and overall I am annoyed by the protests because I’m losing sleep over them,” Brent Talesnick, a junior at GWU, told The Hatchet.

ARCC has held similar protests in the past, at locations like the World Bank. They are not expected to affect Georgetown.

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