Georgetown Solidarity Committee
Encyclopedia
Georgetown Solidarity Committee (GSC) is a student organization at Georgetown University
in Washington, DC, that takes action to support the struggles of service workers on the Georgetown campus as well as workers around the world. GSC was created in 1997 and is a chapter of United Students Against Sweatshops
(USAS).http://www.georgetownsolidarity.org
policy.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52340-2005Mar20.html The proposed policy was created by student members of GSC and MEChA
de Georgetown with campus workers, especially contracted janitors, and included provisions to guarantee all campus workers a living wage, basic benefits and the right to organize unions.
Since 2001, campus workers and GSC had been negotiating with Georgetown administrators, including President John DeGioia and Vice Presidents Daniel Porterfield and Spiros Dimolitsas. As Georgetown is a Jesuit university dedicated to social justice
ideals, the administrators were genuinely concerned to learn about injustices occurring at their institution. However, the administrators did little more than create a series of committees to discuss living wages and others of campus workers' issues.
Students and workers eventually were frustrated by years of committee discussion with virtually no concrete change. In 2004, the students created a broader group of student activists called the Georgetown Living Wage Coalition and engaged in a direct action
campaign for living wages. The coalition gained momentum by holding rallies and marches, performing plays and organizing a series of other colorful actions and educational events. Campus workers, especially Latin@ immigrant contract janitors, courageously risked their livelihoods by speaking at rallies and to the press about the injustices they faced at Georgetown, defying the looming threat of firing or harassment by their employer for speaking. By March 15 2005, when administrators still rejected the proposed living wage policy, students decided to increase the pressure by launching a hunger strike.http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/03/25/hunger
The students refused to eat for 10 days before Georgetown finally adopted their current "Just Employment Policy" http://www.georgetown.edu/svp/justemployment.html. During those 10 days, the campaign received major media attention (including several articles in the Washington Post) and enjoyed the support from labor unions, religious leaders and many others across the United States.http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_24_41/ai_n13662150
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
in Washington, DC, that takes action to support the struggles of service workers on the Georgetown campus as well as workers around the world. GSC was created in 1997 and is a chapter of United Students Against Sweatshops
United Students Against Sweatshops
United Students Against Sweatshops is a student organization with chapters at over 250 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. In April 2000, USAS founded the Worker Rights Consortium , an independent monitoring organization that investigates labor conditions in factories that...
(USAS).http://www.georgetownsolidarity.org
Hunger Strike, March 2005
GSC gained national attention in March 2005 when 26 student activists engaged in a hunger strike, refusing to eat until Georgetown adopted a living wageLiving wage
In public policy, a living wage is the minimum hourly income necessary for a worker to meet basic needs . These needs include shelter and other incidentals such as clothing and nutrition...
policy.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52340-2005Mar20.html The proposed policy was created by student members of GSC and MEChA
MEChA
M.E.Ch.A. is an organization that seeks to promote Chicano unity and empowerment through political action. The acronym of the organization's name is the Spanish word mecha, which means "fuse"...
de Georgetown with campus workers, especially contracted janitors, and included provisions to guarantee all campus workers a living wage, basic benefits and the right to organize unions.
Since 2001, campus workers and GSC had been negotiating with Georgetown administrators, including President John DeGioia and Vice Presidents Daniel Porterfield and Spiros Dimolitsas. As Georgetown is a Jesuit university dedicated to social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
ideals, the administrators were genuinely concerned to learn about injustices occurring at their institution. However, the administrators did little more than create a series of committees to discuss living wages and others of campus workers' issues.
Students and workers eventually were frustrated by years of committee discussion with virtually no concrete change. In 2004, the students created a broader group of student activists called the Georgetown Living Wage Coalition and engaged in a direct action
Direct action
Direct action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...
campaign for living wages. The coalition gained momentum by holding rallies and marches, performing plays and organizing a series of other colorful actions and educational events. Campus workers, especially Latin@ immigrant contract janitors, courageously risked their livelihoods by speaking at rallies and to the press about the injustices they faced at Georgetown, defying the looming threat of firing or harassment by their employer for speaking. By March 15 2005, when administrators still rejected the proposed living wage policy, students decided to increase the pressure by launching a hunger strike.http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/03/25/hunger
The students refused to eat for 10 days before Georgetown finally adopted their current "Just Employment Policy" http://www.georgetown.edu/svp/justemployment.html. During those 10 days, the campaign received major media attention (including several articles in the Washington Post) and enjoyed the support from labor unions, religious leaders and many others across the United States.http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_24_41/ai_n13662150