Graduate Assistants United is your labor union. We represent all teaching, research, and graduate assistants at the University of Florida. When you are a graduate employee, you are more than just another student, you are also an employee of the University.
GAU is your voice. When that voice is strong, UF listens. In order to have a strong voice, we need GAs like you to join us!
UF works because we do! Graduate employees perform a significant amount of the academic work at UF, including teaching and research activities, and serve in many other support roles across campus. Our skills keep the University running smoothly semester after semester.
Why GAU?
Graduate Assistants United was founded in 1972 to improve the lives of all graduate employees during their time at UF. As a recognized labor union, GAU gives graduate employees the right to negotiate the terms of our employment through a contractwith the University of Florida. Through GAU, we have won tuition waivers, free health insurance, regular pay increases, paid sick leave, due process rights, and a formal grievance procedure to enforce these rights.
We’ve come a long way, but GAU is still working on improving our rights and benefits today. Our current campaigns focus on reducing employment fees, improving our health insurance, and gaining Family Medical Leave benefits for all graduate employees. You can read more about our current issues here!
UF-GAU is affiliated with the United Faculty of Florida, the Florida Education Association, the National Education Association, The American Federation of Teachers, and the AFL-CIO.