In an effort to bring an end to the nearly two years of bargaining, the UW-Madison Teaching Assistants' Association will file a formal complaint with the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission Monday against the State of Wisconsin.
According to TAA co-President Ryan Gavin, the TAA is filing the complaint on the basis that the state is engaging in bad faith bargaining.
\The TAA feels that the state is violating the law,"" Gavin said. ""We've been at the table as recently as a couple of weeks ago and we feel that the state is participating in what's called regressive bargaining.""
Gavin explained regressive bargaining as an instance where one of the bargaining groups, in this case the state, puts an offer on the bargaining table and then takes it off.
According to a TAA press release, last April, the state offered the TAA a 4.6-percent pay raise over two years. However, on March 9 of this year, they took those proposed raises away.
""We feel that the state is not bargaining in good faith,"" Gavin said. ""We just want to see a contract get settled and the state is making almost no concessions and there is no movement at the table.""
Gavin said he hopes the complaint will put some pressure on the state to come back to the bargaining table and make an effort to make responsible decisions and concessions.
""We really do hope that something good will come out of this, and we really want contracts,"" he said. ""The grad students in the TAA are among some of the lowest-paid in the Big Ten and, in order for the university to remain competitive and attract good quality grad students, we feel that we need good contracts.""
State representatives were not available for comment, but Karen Timberlake, director of the Wisconsin Office of State Employee Relations, told The Daily Cardinal earlier this week the state still has several issues to discuss with the TAA.
