Why join GAU? Because there is strength in numbers!
GAU works hard to get you yearly raises, end fees, improve health insurance and childcare, and everything else. But at the end of the day, we are only as strong as our membership is! When you join GAU, you send a message to the University administration that you care about these issues and others that affect your working conditions. If we have all 4,000 graduate employees at UF behind us, they will listen! All of our major victories, such as getting full tuition waivers, affordable health insurance, increases to the minimum stipend, eight weeks of paid family and medical leave, and fee relief, coincide with periods in time where we have high membership.
Since the passage of SB 256, union membership is more important than ever. Our right to collective bargaining is under attack in the state of Florida. We need to achieve 65% membership density by February 9, 2024 to maintain our union. If you enjoy having a say in your employment contract, you need to join the union today. If the union is decertified, UF no longer has to guarantee full tuition waivers, healthcare, eight weeks of paid family leave, or even safe working conditions. We are in the midst of a massive membership push to get to 65% density, and we need your help. Become a member today!
Since the passage of SB 256, union membership is more important than ever. Our right to collective bargaining is under attack in the state of Florida. We need to achieve 65% membership density by February 9, 2024 to maintain our union. If you enjoy having a say in your employment contract, you need to join the union today. If the union is decertified, UF no longer has to guarantee full tuition waivers, healthcare, eight weeks of paid family leave, or even safe working conditions. We are in the midst of a massive membership push to get to 65% density, and we need your help. Become a member today!
How Do Dues Work?
GAU is a non-profit organization that exists to represent our members. As with any labor union or professional organization, membership in GAU entails dues. All graduate employees benefit from the contract, whether they are GAU members or not. But by becoming a dues-paying member, you contribute your fair share to the work that GAU does on your and your colleagues’ behalf, and you invest in improving those rights and benefits for yourself and future generations of graduate employees. Dues are 1% of your annual salary, and for most GAs that comes out to ~$10 per paycheck. Your dues pay for expenses such as contract negotiation, member recruitment, organizing members, legal representation, communications, and member services. Membership is open to all graduate employees, including international students. If you work here, then we work for you!
If I'm a member of GAU, am I a member of statewide or national unions as well?
Being a GAU member means you are also a member of the United Faculty of Florida (UFF), which is affiliated with the Florida Education Association (FEA), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the National Education Association (NEA), and the American Federation of Labor – Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). These other organizations advocate on behalf of organized labor and public education at the state and national level, fight lawsuits that UF-GAU does not have the resources to fight on its own, and provide various other means of legal support, liability insurance, and so forth. They also provide professional training in union work such as collective bargaining and filing grievances. This access to professional support is critical to our long-term viability! Being a member of a national union family also gives GAU members access to benefits negotiated by our parent unions, including free life insurance policies and discounts on travel, event tickets, and more!
What is GAU's budget?
