Graduate Assistants union plans events for national day of action
February 1997

Graduate Assistants United-UF, as a member of the Coalition of Graduate Employee Unions, will participate in events marking the National Day of Action, February 27, 1996. On this day, unions across the country will stage actions, rallies, and celebrations acknowledging the contributions of graduate employees to universities and colleges, while reminding the public how far we have to go on academic labor issues.

The plans for the National Day of Action were hatched at a conference of CGEU last summer in Albany, New York. The collectively written statement of the Albany Participants calls for universal recognition of the right to organize, to strike, to fair wages and to health care benefits.

GAU will be marking the National Day of Action with a rally in the Plaza of the Americas on the UF campus beginning at 12 noon, and a party that evening at the Covered Dish featuring Future Urban Zoo. The previous night, February 26th, GAU will co-host a roundtable discussion at the Civic Media Center in Gainesville that will have as its topic "Building Labor Alliances Beyond the University." The roundtable, beginning at 8pm, will feature speakers from GAU, UFF, the Freedom Coalition, AFSCME, and Democratic Socialists of America, as well as Elsie Allen, president of the North Central Florida Central Labor Council and other guest speakers.

"GAU is hoping the National Day of Action will be an opportunity for graduate students to see themselves as part of a big picture, in which labor organizations from all quarters recognize their collective strength," said GAU Co President Christian Gregory. "It is in this spirit especially that we're organizing the roundtable discussion."

GAU warmly welcomes participants from all local labor organizations to participate in the roundtable discussion and strategy session to follow, as well as any of the other National Day of Action events. We're hoping that this event can mark the beginning of a concerted effort to work together in our collective struggles.

If you are interested in attending the roundtable, please contact Christian Gregory at 378-5120 or driver@nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu.