Published April 11, 2021 The Georgetown Alliance of Graduate Employees (GAGE) announced on March 25 an agreement with the university securing COVID-19 protections, approximately eight months after beginning negotiations for COVID-19 guarantees. GAGE sought third-party arbitration with the university last September after bargaining disputes continued to delay an agreement. The union’s initial demands for COVID-19 protections included guaranteed remote work for all graduate workers, paid sick leave for employees with COVID-19, personal protective equipment for on-campus graduate workers, and legal rights for graduate employees under the administration’s Community Compact. GAGE’s first union contract with the university was finalized on May 8, 2020, and allows for the union to bargain over issues not included in the original contract and seek third-party arbitration for disputes. In June of the same year, GAGE representatives began to negotiate with the university on COVID-19 protections for graduate employees. These talks halted in August, however, when the university announced it could not bargain with GAGE over the protections. GAGE claimed that COVID-19 protections were not included in the initial contract talks, while the university maintained they were as the contract was formalized after the onset of the pandemic.