Graduate Assistants United celebrated UF’s top 10 status with party hats, candy and fliers asking for higher pay.
On Wednesday afternoon on the Plaza of the Americas, members of the union spoke with passersby about their stipends. The members say their pay is lower than other top 10 public universities.
The union has been negotiating with UF for raises all summer and into the Fall semester. The initial deadline for the agreement was June 27, according to Alligator archives. At recent negotiations, GAU has been trying to raise the minimum annual salary from $15,000 to $16,000.
Taylor Polvadore, a co-president of GAU and a UF anthropology doctoral student, said she’s happy UF is a top 10 institution, but wants to see graduate wages reflect that.
“We have risen as a university to a top 10, but we still find ourself not having the same benefits and stipends and fee relief that other top 10 universities have,” the 25-year-old said.
Jesse Cosme, a UF sustainable development practice masters student and union member, said he was surprised how stern UF has been in bargaining sessions.
“It’s been very frustrating that The University of Florida is not as open minded about the idea of how providing appropriate incentives and pay for grad assistants will yield positive returns for them,” he said.
Negotiations between UF and GAU will continue Friday after a delay from Hurricane Irma.
Bill Connellan, the chief negotiator for UF, said UF President Kent Fuchs and Provost Joseph Glover are interested in offering the graduate students a generous package. Part of UF’s proposal is $1 million to be spread across departments for raises, intended to recruit top students for 2018-2019. In past negotiating sessions, he has said graduate students have gotten more generous packages than faculty, according to Alligator archives.
Mary Roca, a co-president of GAU and a UF english doctoral student, said it’s not fair to compare faculty with graduate assistants, since both have different needs.
Roca said she hopes with the upcoming bargaining session they can meet in the middle with UF.
“These are real people who are impacted by this decision, and we really do need to see UF put their money where their mouth is,” the 27-year-old said.
