Unless the State Bargaining Committee accepts a counter-proposal from the Teaching Assistants Association by next Monday, the TAA will pursue a walk-out strike next Tuesday and Wednesday.
Next week's potential strike would not include a grade strike, but according to TAA Strike Committee Co-Chair Ellen Hickman, it may be necessary as a last resort at the end of the semester. A grade strike would entail telling students what grades they earned, but TAs and Project Assistants would not allow administrators access to the grades.
The State Bargaining Committee offered a proposal at 11 a.m. Monday entailing a zero-dollar pay increase in 2005 and an averaged 4.6 percent pay increase the following year. The State Bargaining Committee refused to offer zero-premium health care, which is part of the TAA's current contract. The State Bargaining Committee refused UW-Madison's offer to pay for health care because TAA members are state employees, said Danielle LeClair, TAA Bargaining Committee chief negotiator.
UW-Madison stated the proposed contract offered by the State Bargaining Committee would put the wages of TAA members in range of wages at comparable institutions, which would compensate for the health care, LeClair said.
However, the TAA claims the 4.6 percent pay increase would still be 8 percent lower than other Big Ten schools.
\If they won't give us zero-premium health care, then give us market wages. Our TAs and PAs make about $2,000 less on average than grad students from comparable universities. We would need a 15-percent pay increase,"" she said.
The TAA Bargaining Committee will try to schedule a meeting with the state this week in a last attempt at a peaceful resolution. The TAA will assess the week's progress in a meeting Monday.
""The TAA will accept the cheapest proposal of a 1.7 percent pay raise as previously offered, but not without zero-premium health care. Otherwise securing a 10 percent increase in wages may be acceptable,"" TAA Co-President Boian Popunkiov said. ""We are prepared for a strike if these qualifications are not met. Sometimes you have to break the law.""
TAA members from departments affected by the strike had 10 days to vote on whether they supported a strike. After Monday's deadline, 71 percent of the 1251 votes cast favored a strike. This percentage included votes from 852 TAs and PAs and surpassed the two-thirds margin needed for the TAA to implement a strike, according to TAA Publicity Chair Jonathan Puthoff.
University officials declined to comment after the meeting Monday, but will comment on the issue today.
