USF rejects graduate assistant pay talks, citing budget delays

The University of South Florida has rejected pay negotiations for its graduate assistants.

The university denied requests for raises and stipend bargaining last week. The administration stated that the Board of Trustees has not authorized pay increases. The union must now wait until the final budget is set, a process that could last until July.

Tessa Barber, president of the Graduate Assistants Union, said the university is violating a previous agreement. The union signed a contract last year with the understanding that pay negotiations would occur for the 2026-2027 school year. Barber said the university’s current stance leaves members financially exposed while costs rise.

“Housing prices are going up, costs of living are going up, food prices, gas prices,” Barber said. “But our pay has remained stagnant. It hasn’t even kept up with inflation. So graduate assistants are experiencing food and housing insecurity.”

Graduate assistants are required to work a minimum of 40 hours per week on learning and teaching duties. Many still hold service industry jobs to cover living expenses. Barber said the university has recently cracked down on outside employment, making it harder for workers to supplement their stipends without risking their positions.

“So now, not only are wages stagnant and costs rising, but now we’re having more difficulty working outside the university without fear of losing our jobs,” Barber said.

USF President Moez Limayem addressed students at a town hall earlier this year. He acknowledged that stipends are not high enough but stated that graduate assistants are not supposed to live on their pay alone. The university relies heavily on this workforce, with graduate students teaching more than a quarter of classes and contributing hundreds of millions of dollars in research.

The union, which formed in 1980, faces new legal challenges. A state law, SB 1296, now requires 50 percent of workers to vote in union elections for them to be valid. A legislative staff analysis found the law could conflict with the state Constitution. The next bargaining session is open to the public on USF’s campus on November 13 at 10 a.m.