A Resolution to Support Workers Employed by Contractors at GMU

President Greg Washington

February 20, 2021

A Resolution to Support Workers Employed by Contractors at GMU and Advance a Responsible Contractor Policy

Whereas, according to eVA, the centralized electronic platform for purchasing goods and services in the Commonwealth of Virginia, George Mason University (GMU) has over 122,000 listed agreements in place, making it the fifth largest purchasing agency in the Commonwealth; and

Whereas, many of these contractors assign their workers and those of their subcontractors to work on the campus of GMU; and

Whereas, some workers assigned to work at GMU by these contractors and subcontractors are paid less than $15 per hour, have no or few benefits, and are disproportionately people of color and immigrant; and

Whereas, these workers are essential, valued, and co-equal members of the GMU community; and

Whereas, GMU’s statement of values says “We Thrive Together” and “We nurture a positive and collaborative environment that contributes to the well-being and success of every member”; and

Whereas, the GMU central administration has been made aware that some of these workers have reported facing delays in the delivery of their pay, receiving bounced checks, inconsistent scheduling, arbitrary pay cuts, and intimidation and retaliation in response to assertions of their rights; and

Whereas, over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, many of these workers have performed some of the most essential and necessary work on GMU campuses to keep our community safe and clean and to help us grow—work that can elevate their risk of contracting the virus; and

Whereas, some contracted custodial and other workers have not been provided adequate personal protection equipment (PPE), and are not aware of and/or do not participate in the Mason COVID Health✓™ and the university’s COVID-19 testing program; now

Therefore, be it resolved, that the George Mason University Chapter of the AAUP supports all efforts by these workers to improve their working conditions, including but not limited to the joining and/or formation of unions; and

Be it further resolved, that GMU-AAUP supports the adoption of a responsible contractor policy that requires better working conditions (including living wages, health care benefits, training and apprenticeship opportunities) for Mason’s contracted workforce; and

Be it further resolved, that GMU-AAUP calls upon Mason to ensure that contracted workers have appropriate and sufficient PPE to safely carry out their jobs. Contracted custodial workers should not have to supply their own equipment. These workers should also be invited to participate in the Mason COVID Health✓™ program and the university’s COVID-19 testing program.

Signatures (as of 3/19/2021):

1. Bethany Letiecq, GMU-AAUP, GMU Coalition for Worker Rights

2. Tim Gibson, GMU-AAUP, GMU Coalition for Worker Rights

3. Jim Finkelstein, GMU-AAUP, GMU Coalition for Worker Rights

4. Nancy Aguirre
5. Sarah Ahn
6. Karen Akerlof
7. Mina Al Hashimi
8. Denise Albanese
9. Manea Alhaydar
10. Vanessa Alvarez
11. Maricielo Ampudia
12. Katrin Anacker
13. Jennifer Ashley
14. Jennifer Atkinson
15. Ivan Avramovic
16. Julie Aylsworth
17. Cathy Bahena
18. Angela Barajas
19. Maritza Barrientos Perez
20. Christopher Bender
21. Amy Best
22. Johanna Bockman
23. Frederick Brigham
24. Jo-Marie Burt
25. Melany Bustamante
26. Meagan Call-Cummings
27. Hever Castro
28. Mary Catlin
29. Gina Cerasani
30. Sophia Chapin
31. Rose Cherubin
32. Giovanna Chesler
33. Carlos Chism
34. Paola Choque Villarroel
35. keith Clark
36. Richard Coffinberger
37. Benjamin Coffinberger
38. James Conant
39. Michelle Conklin
40. mark cooley
41. Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera
42. Reeshad Dalal
43. Beth Davis
44. Lynnea Davis
45. Lilian de Jonge
46. Dhruv Deepak
47. Marcy Delos
48. Elizabeth DeMulder
49. Brian Devine
50. Sharon Doetsch-Kidder
51. Theodore Dumas
52. Deb Duncan
53. Basak Durgun
54. Odile Durocher
55. Eric Eisner
56. Heba El-Shazli
57. Madison Essig
58. Douglas Eyman
59. Fanni Farago
60. Rominna Farfan
61. Jen Fehsenfeld
62. Diana Fernandez
63. Victoria Figueroa
64. Jim Finkelstein
65. Sarah Fischer Nowaczyk
66. Thomas Flores
67. Elizabeth Fortson
68. Samuel Frye
69. Daniela Garcia
70. Olivia Garcia
71. Harold Geller
72. Justin Gest
73. Elizabeth Gibson
74. Charlotte Gill
75. Michael Gilmore
76. Jack Goldstone
77. Lucia Gomez
78. Rachael Goodman
79. Cheryl Graeve
80. Michele Greet
81. Stephanie Grimm
82. Wally Grotophorst
83. Andrew Guccione
84. Jhumka Gupta
85. Vanessa Gutierrez
86. Anna Habib
87. Bassam Haddad
88. Sumaiya Hamdani
89. Nancy Hanrahan
90. Erica Harp
91. Tamara Harvey
92. Mark Helmsing
93. Julia Holcomb
94. Issa Hosein
95. Billy Howell
96. virginia hoy
97. Cortney Hughes Rinker
98. Jennifer Jerez
99. Matt Karush
100. David Kaufmann
101. Richard Kauzlarich
102. Deborah Keene
103. Sara King
104. Margaret King-Sears
105. Maoria Kirker
106. Haagen Klaus
107. Barry Klinger
108. Lisa Koch
109. David Kuebrich
110. Kerri LaCharite
111. Meredith Lair
112. Alison Landsberg
113. Todd Laporte
114. Megan Lavengood
115. Carl Leak
116. jennifer Leeman
117. Logan Lehman
118. Jennifer Lerch
119. Elizabeth Levine-Brown
120. Brian Levy
121. Mary Liles
122. Lisa Lister
123. Freddy Lopez
124. Mariely Lopez-Santana
125. Cynthia Lukyanenko
126. Susan Lydick
127. Terrence Lyons
128. Tricia Mackenzie
129. Ben Mackey
130. Kim MacVaugh
131. Ed Maibach
132. Ulda Maldonado
133. Ben Manski
134. Mirita Marquez
135. Philip Martin
136. Shayna Maskell
137. Emily McDonald
138. Eric McGlinchey
139. Helen McManus
140. Jason Mercado
141. Char Miller
142. Alexander Monea
143. Terence Monks
144. Alessandra Munoz
145. Amy Murphy
146. Manjusha Nair
147. Brenda Navarro
148. Tonya Neaves
149. George Oberle
150. Sarah Ochs
151. Amaka Okechukwu
152. Jim Olds
153. Mariah Ortegon
154. Ana Maria Ortiz Carrillo
155. Wayne Perry
156. Esther Peters
157. Carol Petty
158. Julia Pfaff
159. Karla Pineda
160. Brian Platt
161. Peter Plavchan
162. Anna Pollack
163. Daysi Pollack
164. Cassidy Pollard
165. Elizabeth Quillin
166. Ben Rhoades
167. Arden Richards-Karamarkovich
168. Shauna Rigaud
169. Jennifer Ritterhouse
170. Amira Roess
171. Maria Esperanza Roman Mendoza
172. Eric Ross
173. Lori Rottenberg
174. Danielle Rudes
175. Deborah Sanchez
176. Ariadna Sanchez
177. James Sanford
178. MAILLIM SANTIAGO
179. Roberto Saravia
180. Catherine Saunders
181. Jessica Scarlata
182. Matthew Scherer
183. Laurie Schintler
184. Zachary Schrag
185. Sylvia Schreiner
186. Susan Schulze
187. Galilea Sejas
188. Beverly Shaklee
189. Cameron Shaw
190. Louise Shelley
191. Paul Smith
192. Eve Smith
193. Lindsay Smith
194. Mark Snyder
195. Garry Sparks
196. Richard Todd Stafford
197. Peter Streckfus
198. Heather Streckfus-Green
199. Jessica Tamayo
200. Faye Taxman
201. Tojo Thatchenkery
202. Susan Tomasovic
203. Katherine Trejo
204. Susan Trencher
205. Megan Tucker
206. Estefany Umana
207. Paige Valentine
208. LEVI VAN SANT
209. Jaime Vedia
210. Colleen Vesely
211. Jennifer Victor
212. Miriam Wagner
213. Janine Wedel
214. Steven Weinberger
215. Gail White
216. Judith Wilde
217. Kira Woitek
218. Karen Wolf
219. Michael Wolf-Branigin
220. Shelley Wong
221. Courtney Wooten
222. Lorriz Anne Yi
223. Luis Zaragoza
224. Margaret Zeddies
225. David Zeglen
226. Kristien Zenkov
227. Amy Zhang









Sponsored by

To: President Greg Washington
From: [Your Name]

In the name of racial justice, please clean up GMU's contracts and adopt a responsible contractor policy that protects contracted workers, pays a living wage, and provides benefits and opportunities for advancement. Please ensure all workers have adequate personal protective equipment and are included in our COVID Health✓™ program and the university’s COVID-19 testing program.

Thank you.
GMU-AAUP Faculty and the GMU Coalition for Worker Rights