Who/what is GAU?
by UF Graduate Assistants United
Suppose you’re a new graduate assistant who has attended an orientation or has been involved in activism on campus. In that case, you’ve likely heard of Graduate Assistants United (GAU), the labor union that represents all (over 4,200) Graduate Assistants at UF. UF GAU is a family, a haven, and a safeguard against entities that often don’t have our best interests at heart.
What have we been up to?
Despite legislative attacks, we’ve been productive both at and away from the bargaining table. The series of bargaining sessions that began in January of 2023 has resulted in the largest raise to the minimum stipend UF-GAU has seen in its 50-year history, more than doubling our historic win the year prior. Since we still haven’t quite caught up to inflation and remain below a livable wage, our team is continuing to work on getting another raise from the university. With the recent unveiling of exorbitant spending on salaries under the Sasse administration, it’s clear that UF has enough money to pay us what we deserve.
We additionally have just won a series of huge improvements to our healthcare, with us now getting the best GatorCare plan available to any UF employee for the cheapest premium and the best version of GatorGradCare since we first won it in 2014. Main improvements include out-of-area coverage and cheaper coverage for dependents, as well as vision and dental add-on options. A university committee, which will include 2 GAs, will be set up to rebid better dental coverage for GAs that better fits our needs with the idea of implementing by 2026.
In terms of community-building, this summer we had a drag event! It occurred right after the conclusion of Pride Month, really pushing home our belief that everyone should be celebrated year-round. We had a large amount of attendees and were able to equitably pay all laborers involved in the event: from door staff, to drag queens, to DJs. We look forward to continuing events that incorporate our community while uplifting opportunities for education, celebration, and intersectionality.
What can we look forward to this year?
We’ve already begun planning events for this semester, and will continue to add more as time goes on. As of now, here are some things we have cooking up:
Oct. 4 — Payday party
Oct. 17 — GBM (Halloween themed)
Nov. 1 — Payday party
Nov. 6-8 — Healthcare open enrollment pop-up in the Reitz
Nov. 15 (week-of, maybe not on the 15th) — Happy Hour / Teach-In
November — Native Heritage Event
Nov. 29 — Thanksgiving straggler event
Dec. 13 — last payday
How can I join?
First of all, you must be a GA to join GAU. The only other requirement to be a member is to pay dues, which are only 1 percent of your stipend, taken out biweekly coinciding with our paychecks. The benefits of being a union member are representation during grievances, free legal counseling, access to free food and drink at payday parties, local and national discounts, and maintaining the union far outweigh the 1 percent cost. Of course, you are also continuing our rich history of collective bargaining with the University of Florida.
Joining is easy! You can simply visit this website: https://tinyurl.com/Iguana2059 and complete the form. Otherwise, you can visit our website at www.ufgau.com and navigate to “take action” and “become a member” to access the form. There are also a variety of resources available.
If you’re already a member and want to get more involved, please feel free to reach out to organizing@ufgau.org to get connected with our leadership and find out more about opportunities—there is a place for you.