Bargaining Session Notes 9/30/2024

UF brought several counterproposals today. 

Aticle 3- Consultations:

• UF has stricken out the president meeting with us again.

Article 7- Workload:

• ​GAU wants to clarify language around the difference between work and academic work in 7.2. It's very hard to tell the difference between needing to work hard and being overworked. In order to file grievances, we must have a clear sense of what constitutes overwork.
• UF said that the burden of evidence rests on GA to prove that their supervisor is expecting them to work beyond their hours. Essentially, to confirm they’re being overworked, GA needs to put themselves up for discipline to the point where they make their advisor upset enough to give them a note that says they’re not doing enough. This is unrealistic and unsafe for GA’s to do, especially international GA’s. 
  • ​​UF acknowledges that a definition of work expectations is something they should provide, but don't want to provide it because they think the overwhelming majority of GA’s know what is expected of them.
• GAU wants a distinction for overwork in the contract so that the GA does not need to shoot themself in the foot to prove it, and will return to this. 

Article 8- Leaves of Absence

• When it comes to bereavement, UF wants to return to the lower amount of paid leave from 9/23/24: They propose 2 days paid leave for bereavement in which the family member is domestic and 5 days for cases when the family member is international. 
• GAU maintains it is unreasonable to expect someone to travel in this time, and since we don’t get PTO or anything to extend this time, it’s very little. 

Article 16 - Use of Facilities
This is another article we’re super far apart on.

• UF wants to eliminate release-time employees (“RT”, GA’s who get released from their academic department work in order to work their hours for GAU). UF has not brought an article that doesn’t remove RT since the beginning of the bargaining session 
  • UF thinks RT only benefits GAU, and argues that the university is not supposed to be involved in reducing the administrative burden of the union. 
• GAU maintains that if GAU is helpful for GAs, and having someone to sweep through emails about potential grievances etc., is necessary for the union, then RT should be of interest. 

Article 10- Stipends
UF brought a new counterproposal to GAU’s counterproposal at the end of 9/23/24 session. 

• UF proposed a minimum stipend of $20,400 for 9 month appointments / $27200 for 12 month appointments
  • Rejected GAU’s language to automatically increase the 9-month stipend minimum in accordance with UF’s J-1 visa requirements 
  • UF proposed merit raises  of $700 for 9 month and $933 for 12 months appointees.
  • Focused on the “B” style on both minimum and raises (see UF’s proposed chart of 9/23/24). 
• GAU will return with counterproposals on automatic raises to minimum stipend, and raising the minimum stipend amount to be closer to the J-1 amount.