Employee Parking on Campus

[highlandparkhoya]

I am far from being an activist, but recently I became aware that Georgetown charges employees monthly for parking. According to the Office of Transportation Management Employees earning avove $87,000 pay $127.30 monthly and those earning BELOW $87,000 pay $116.17 monthly. In the wake of all the controversy on campus regarding a "living wage", maybe this should have been addressed beforehand. I talked to the guys who work in the Equipment Room at McDonough and they told me that they actually deduct this amount out of their paycheck. I don't know, maybe it doesn't matter if you are making $87,000, but a $10 discount seems like highway robbery for people making a relatively low wage.

[Jack]

And yet for all they charge, there is (or at least there was) a waiting list for those spots. Parking on campus is so scarce and public transportation is completely adequate, so the parking charge does not bother me that much, even as employee earning well below $87,000- although I also have a Zone 2 pass, so I just park on the street. I will shut up now.

[SFHoya99]

In many major cities, paying $120/month is a steal. Not saying it is right, but unfortunately there's not a lot of spots on campus.

[tgo]

if no one could afford to pay for it then there would not be a waiting list. $120 a month for parking is an incredible deal. there are many public transport options that would cost a fraction of that so there should not be any complaints.

[SoCalHoya]

I agree that $116 is not a lot to pay, ESPECIALLY if they take it out of your paycheck. GU may be doing them a favor by deducting it so that those earnings are not taxed.

I do have an issue with people paid over $87k only paying $127. But perhaps this rate is low as an added benefit to working for the University. Maybe this helps us recruit better employees, I dunno.

[tgo]

socalhoya said:

I agree that I do have an issue with people paid over $87k only paying $127.

why would you encourage the university to charge more for parking from its own employee's? And why would it matter what salary they make as to how much they pay? please let me know the logic behind this stance.

If anything GU should encourage the lower wage earners to use public transportation since it is a better use of theirs' and the societies resources than purchasing gas, creating polution and putting mileage on their car. therefore they should charge more for parking for those who make less money while offering metro passes on a sliding scale based on income, free to the lowest and by the time you get to $87,000 you get no metro discount.

[highlandparkhoya]

Being from Texas the whole idea of paying for parking is foreign to me. I didn't realize that $120 per month was a steal. I pay that much to park at Altman's 3333 M Street Garage and I thought I was getting the short end, but I guess I have a good deal.

[Bahstin]

Parking where I work is $400 per month.

[SFHoya99]

Downtown Oakland runs at about $120-$200/month. Residential San Francisco is about $150-$200/month. Downtown San Francisco is, I believe in the $400-$500 range but I've never honestly priced it.

[joehoya07]

socalhoya said:

GU may be doing them a favor by deducting it so that those earnings are not taxed.

I'm sure they take it out of their net pay, which is the amount they get to keep after taxes are taken out.

As for paying to park, when I first came here I was surprised how many people drive to work in DC. I'm from New York, and 95 percent of people who work in Manhatten take mass transit. But then again, the transit system here is not nearly as extensive, especially in Georgetown.

[TigerHoya]

jack said:

And yet for all they charge, there is (or at least there was) a waiting list for those spots. Parking on campus is so scarce and public transportation is completely adequate, so the parking charge does not bother me that much, even as employee earning well below $87,000- although I also have a Zone 2 pass, so I just park on the street. I will shut up now.

I understood it to be a parking lottery, not just a waiting list, for faculty and staff when I was at GU. I remember first hearing of the issue when a staff/faculty member was robbed off campus going to his car.