2026 Bargaining Blog: Session 5

On Friday, August 7, your union met with the FSU Board of Trustees to hear their response to our proposal for a $3,000 bonus and doubling the fee relief for every eligible GA. The Board presented their counter-offer to this proposal: a $450 bonus for GAs at 0.5 FTE ($225 bonus for GAs at 0.25 FTE) and no fee relief. Your bargaining team asked the Board for their rationale behind this offer, to which the Board replied that it was just part of negotiations and that they were open to hearing counter-offers. After some discussion, your bargaining team decided to oblige the Board with a counter: raising the minimum stipend for GAs at 0.5 FTE to $20,000 ($10,000 for GAs at 0.25 FTE), and a $2,800 bonus for GAs at 0.5 FTE ($1,400 for GAs at 0.25 FTE). With your bargaining team's new offer on the table, the session concluded.

If it was not already abundantly clear, the Board's counter of a $450 bonus to our proposal solidifies their disrespect towards FSU GAs. In the last session, we justified our decision to propose a flat-rate for our bonus rather than a percentage based on stipends because it would ensure that all GAs receive a financial benefit regardless of the specifics of their appointments. However, in this session, the Board returned with a number that would specifically prove disadvantageous to those on a certain stipend. For GAs on an annualized stipend above $45,000, a $450 bonus would be LESS than the 1% bonus the Board originally proposed. While your union strives to bargain for a deal that benefits all GAs, the Board seems bent on ensuring that if they grant GAs anything, it will only benefit some at the expense of others.

At this stage in the negotiations, it is imperative that we as a union stand together against the Board's attempts to sow division. I am once again pleased to report that many union members came out to this bargaining session and participated in negotiations. Just shy of 20 members attended either in-person or on Zoom. To those who continue to make time to support the bargaining effort, I give you my sincerest thanks on behalf of the bargaining team and your union at large. I encourage you to continue to show up as your presence is one of the strongest tools in our arsenal against the Board's consistent attempts to undermine us. As always, the date and time of the next session will be posted to the website as soon as it is scheduled. We look forward to seeing you at the table and are prepared to keep fighting no matter how the Board tries to devalue us with their next counter-offer.

In Solidarity,

Elijah Noonan

PhD Student

Department of English

Bargaining Co-Chair