Bargaining Session Notes 10/7/2024

Article 9: Academic Freedom 
We debated language in this article regarding the definition of academic freedom, when GA’s are acting as individual versus when we are acting as UF employees, the responsibility of the university for protecting research, and the university’s ability to prohibit lines of research. 

Article 16- Use of Facilities
GAU has made a concession on the FTE for Release Time employees (RT) that we requested in the past. We leave it at 4.5 FTE.

• GAU has also removed the request for a parking space and has left in language from UF on reporting orientations to us “as practicable” - we recognize this is a necessity since these events pop up last minute.

Article 8- Paid Leave

• Much of this discussion was around how to make this article more practical. 
• GAU removed the waiver for mental health care verification, and decreased our previous request on bereavement days from 5 (for a domestic relative) / 10 (for an international relative) to 4 / 8 days, respectively. 

Article 10 - Stipends

• GAU removed the language demanding partial ratification – or asking that a raise be ratified separately from the rest of the contract, which could take a while to bargain in its entirety. 
• GAU left its proposed minimum stipend amount at $28,000 for 9 month employees and $37,334 for 12 month employees. 
• Left in language regarding an automatic increase with J-1 visa-holding GA’s because UF hasn’t given a good explanation as to why to remove it aside from “not interested.” 
• GAU decreased merit raise amounts slightly - they are now proposed as $1,425 for 9 months and $1,900 for 12 months.