The UW-Madison Teaching Assistants' Association will meet with state bargaining officials this afternoon in an attempt to agree on a contract and avoid an impending strike scheduled for next Tuesday and Wednesday.
Jonathon Puthoff, chair of the TAA's publicity committee, said the threat of a strike grabbed the state's attention and brought them back to the bargaining table after the TAA turned down the latest offer from the state.
Office of State Employment Relations Director Karen Timberlake said the potential strike has nothing to do with today's meeting.
\It really isn't a factor at all. The reality is that the legislative session is coming to a close and we have a limited window of opportunity to get a contract through the Legislature,"" she said.
The TAA refused the state's latest offer, made Monday, which offered a zero-dollar pay increase for next year, with an averaged 4.6 percent pay increase in 2006. The state's offer would also have required TAs to pay a monthly premium for health insurance.
The TAA rejected the offer and according Puthoff, plans to ask the state to choose between two options: zero premium health care or a pay raise to make up the difference.
""We are public sector employees-the zero cost health care is something that is really dear to us. What we are asking for is really, really modest. It's just a tiny fraction of the state's budget,"" Puthoff said.
However, Timberlake said the state has changed the way it purchases insurance and can no longer offer no-cost premiums.
""What's important for the leadership of the TAA to understand is it is very difficult economically for the entire state and the TAA are not going to get absolutely everything they want,"" Timberlake said. She added she feels the state has made the best offer it can under the circumstances.
If the bargaining teams cannot agree on a contract, the TAA has asked students to show support by not crossing picket lines, even if it means missing class.
""We have their best interest at heart. The more money the state puts into the university, the better the environment is for them,"" Puthoff said. ""The faculty here are incredibly supportive of us, and they shouldn't have anything to fear in missing classes.""
However, UW-Madison Vice Chancellor Darrell Bazzell said the university does not support the cancellation of classes.
""We prefer to not see undergraduate classes be interrupted,"" he said, and added that undergraduates have paid for their class time.
Susan Brantly, Chair of the Department of Scandinavian Studies, said she encouraged faculty members not to give tests on those days to avoid conflicts for students who want to honor the picket lines.
""Each faculty member is making that decision for themselves, and I think every student is making that decision for themselves. It's a matter of individual conscious,"" Brantly said.
Brantly said she personally supports the right of TAs in her department to strike.
""I wouldn't dream of punishing anyone for participating in a strike if they belong to a union,"" she said.
