Georgetown University’s facilities workers will vote on a new contract March 10, which includes an increase in wages and meal vouchers, after their union and the university completed negotiations last week.
The facilities workers’ union, 1199SEIU, advocated for a pay increase across the 30-month contract period and for several current contract provisions, such as parking rates, to remain the same. The university agreed to a 15% pay increase, compounded across five six-month segments, as well as a $6 increase in workers’ meal vouchers.
The new contract, if approved by union members, would retroactively apply to the January pay period and would expire June 30, 2028. It covers all Georgetown facilities workers, which span a variety of departments such as bus drivers, sanitation workers, housekeepers, maintenance staff and landscapers.
Roy Linton, a Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle (GUTS) driver, said he was generally satisfied with the contract, though he had hoped for a greater pay increase.
“I’m pretty much okay with what we got,” Linton told The Hoya. “I was expecting a little bit more, probably another 2%, but I can work with what we got, because basically everything else in the contract, I understand, is going to remain the same.”
Most of the previous contract, which expired in January, will remain unchanged, including health insurance premiums and parking vouchers. The pay increase is also greater than the 12% raise workers received throughout the previous contract period, according to Carrietta Hiers, the vice president of 1199SEIU’s Washington, D.C. branch.
Hiers, who represented workers throughout negotiations, said the union advocated for wage increases to reflect higher cost of living and the importance of workers on campus.
“Georgetown is a prestigious organization, and we feel as though the rates should reflect that,” Hiers told The Hoya. “It’s all about dignity and respect, and paying your people livable wages is definitely important.”
The contract also includes three sequential increases in workers’ minimum pay: 5% by the first pay period in April, 3% in January 2027 and another 3% in January 2028. Minimum pay rates reflect the lowest starting salaries for each position, while the overall 15% increase applies to all workers’ wages.
Hiers, who initially did not expect the negotiations to conclude until the end of March, said the bargaining process went smoothly and the university was respectful toward workers’ demands.
“They respected what workers were saying at the table,” Hiers said. “They heard us. Even though they’re in a financial bind, things are going on, they came in ready to bargain with our members. And they listened.”
The university has faced ongoing financial strain as a result of a changing higher education policy landscape. For faculty and administrative staff, the university has maintained a hiring freeze since April 2025 and is projecting a revenue reduction of $91 million to $112 million through June, as of December 2025.
During negotiations in February, a university spokesperson said Georgetown respects the bargaining process, citing the university’s Just Employment Policy, which guarantees fair and competitive compensation for all full-time employees and contractors.
Student advocates, led by the campus labor group Georgetown Coalition for Workers’ Rights (GCWR), delivered a petition to the university Feb. 24 demanding fair compensation. Students called on the university to remain faithful to the Just Employment Policy as well as its Jesuit values.
Elinor Clark (CAS ’27), GCWR’s facilities team lead, said the wage increases are a substantial win for Georgetown workers.
“At Georgetown, we’re very frequently concerned with the big picture and how we can make the world a better place on a very macro level,” Clark told The Hoya. “But when it comes to the everyday realities of workers, one of their biggest concerns is always money in their pocket. These wage increases will allow workers more stability in their lives.”
Hiers said she appreciated the student support throughout the bargaining process.
“I’m thanking the students who, a small party of them, still came on the last day, even though they were all on spring break,” Hiers said. “I admire that.”
“It is truly about solidarity — there was no animosity in the room, and we won a good contract, but we still got work to do,” Hiers added.
Clark, who has spoken to multiple facilities workers about the contract, said workers are generally pleased with the wage increases.
“From what I’ve been hearing, workers are pretty happy with it, and at the end of the day, that’s what matters,” Clark said. “What matters is that the workers feel that they are being fairly compensated, whether it’s money in their pocket or adequate health care coverage or meal vouchers or parking fees. Our job as community members is to support the workers in all of those demands, and if workers choose to ratify this contract, then we will have done our job.”
Hiers said the Georgetown community should recognize the role that workers play on campus and continue to demonstrate solidarity with their organizing efforts.
“Campus members should take pride in themselves for helping and being united and ensuring that members were able to get this great contract, first of all,” Hiers said. “I think that working collaboratively together with respect and listening shows that we’re all one Georgetown community, and when one wins, we all win.”
