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SEIU Local 500 – Graduate Students Employed by American University (GSEAU)

Representing Doctoral and Masters students employed at AU’s campus who are employed by AU and supervised by faculty.

Recognition Clause 

Whenever used in this Agreement, “GSEAU” will mean all Doctoral and Masters students in American University departments employed at the University’s campus in Washington, D.C., who are working toward degrees offered by American University, and who are employed by American University and supervised by faculty to provide instructional or research services in undergraduate or graduate-level courses or labs, including, but not limited to Teaching Assistants, Research Assistants, Graduate Assistants, Laboratory Assistants, Teaching Apprentices, Dean’s Fellows, Instructors, Graders, Preceptors, Section Leaders, and Tutors; but excluding: any full-time or regular part-time American University employees and faculty, students who are working in grant funded positions where the University does not control their wages, adjunct faculty who are included in the bargaining unit certified in NLRB Case Number 05-RC-070027, managers, guards and supervisors as defined by the National Labor Relations Act.

Duration of Current Collective Bargaining Agreement 

September 16, 2022, through September 15, 2025

Collective Bargaining Agreement(s) 

Contact Information (Union) 

SEIU Local 500
901 Russell Avenue
Suite 300 
Gaitherburg, MD  20879 
Phone:  301-740-7100 

American University: Graduate Students — SEIU LOCAL 500 (seiu500.org)

Contract Negotiations

The University bargaining team met with the SEIU graduate student employee bargaining team for the second time on April 29, 2025.

The Union agreed with AU's proposed language assuring that the CBA will be compliant with FERPA. We have reached a Tentative Agreement on this article. 

The Union proposed a new article on "Freedom of Expression Protections". 

AU discussed in detail answers to the Union’s questions regarding how the University interacts with immigration authorities.

Representatives from the University and graduate student employees represented by SEIU Local 500 began negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) on April 4, 2025. Both groups exchanged their initial set of proposals for changes to the CBA. The parties engaged in a constructive dialogue on a range of topics including privacy of student education records, student immigration status, and the University’s policies and legal obligations surrounding those topics.  

SEIU proposed changes

  • Deduction of Dues
  • Emergency Assistance Fund

Both proposals relate to establishing an “emergency assistance fund” to provide limited funds for “qualifying emergency events”.

AU proposed changes

  • Bargaining Unit Information: changes to comply with the Family Educational Records Privacy Act (FERPA)
  • Deduction of Dues: changes to comply with the NLRA

The parties are expected to reconvene on April 29.