University of South Florida union negotiates for higher salaries

Tampa, FL – On November 4, Graduate Assistants United (GAU) negotiated with the University of South Florida (USF) Board of Trustees over the union’s pending contract. GAU’s stipend proposal was made on July 17. However, after months of stalling, the USF negotiations team returned with a measly 2% increase in their counterproposal.

For PhD graduate workers, this 2% increase would be about an extra $432 per year while for master’s graduate workers, this would be an extra $306 per year. This equates to less than $40 extra a month, which, with rising inflation, does little to help these workers. Around 80% of graduate assistants at USF are at the minimum stipend, meaning they need to work a second or even third job to make ends meet. If this 2% increase were put into effect, this would put graduate assistants at USF below the poverty line.

International graduate assistants mentioned concerns about stipends, as many of them dependent upon VISA status, can only work on campus and many cannot afford to travel home during the university’s slow months.

Additionally, the topic of fee relief was discussed at this session. As said by the GAU team, “Graduate assistants pay an average of $800 in fees to work which is taken out of their stipends.” It had been proposed that USF take $250 off in fees to aid graduate assistants. In response, USF said they “cannot agree to fee relief.”

USF GAU President Tessa Barber said, “With record enrollment, record research funding and record donations, a proposed 2% increase is frankly an insult and disservice to all graduate students.”

The University of South Florida was recently accepted into the AAU or Association of American Universities. One of the main stipulations for being invited to the AAU has to do with the research a university is producing. GAU’s stipend proposal was based on 10% below the median stipend for fellow graduate assistants at AAU universities.

The main articles of the contract that are still being negotiated relate to finances and protections for international students.

The next bargaining session is pending as the USF Board of Trustees must meet to agree to another counterproposal for the stipends.

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