GAU, UF to continue bargaining UF graduate assistant raises

For the second time in two weeks, graduate assistants will fight for a $320 raise.

After members of Graduate Assistants United and UF negotiators could not compromise over the union’s petition for a raise and a $100 fee relief for graduate assistants, the two parties will meet again today in Pugh Hall, said Charles Shields, the communications chair for GAU.

During the original meeting, the group also asked for a minimum stipend of $15,000 for half-time graduate assistants, which UF’s negotiators previously verbally agreed to, he said. But UF’s chief bargainer, Bill Connellan, didn’t sign the proposal, instead scheduling another meeting for today in Pugh Hall, Room 160, at 3 p.m. to discuss raises.

Shields said he doesn’t know what Connellan is going to offer them. Connellan declined to comment about the negotiation until the meeting.

Shields said he is optimistic GAU will get a flat raise, which gives all graduate assistants the same raise, as opposed to a percentage raise. Under a percentage raise, the amount of money each graduate assistant would receive would vary depending on how much each student makes.

“We won’t discount any offer that they give us out of hand — any offer that they put in writing on the table,” he said.

The deadline to sign a proposal is Nov. 10, but Shields said GAU is prepared to push negotiation close to the deadline if needed.

“I think both sides are getting antsy and feeling like it may be time to go ahead seal the deal before we hit the deadline,” Shields said.

John Hames, the chief bargainer for GAU, said the frustrating part of the negotiation is the university’s claim that it can’t afford to give the same raise as last year, a $430 raise and $50 in fee reliefs, according to Alligator archives. But GAU is willing to work within those parameters.

“We still are cautiously optimistic that the university will move and that we can bring home a raise for graduate assistants that is meaningful,” he said.