The Teaching Assistants' Association is set to renew negotiations with the state this fall in an effort to break a two-year stalemate over a contract for TAs and program assistants. But a proposed new bill could strip the TAA of its right to bargain, according to a TAA statement.
State Sen. Tom Reynolds, R- West Allis, proposed a bill earlier this week that would make it unlawful for the TAA to bargain collectively. Collective bargaining allows workers to operate as a unit when negotiating with employers.
This new development is the latest in a long string of back-and-forth actions between the TAA and the state in an effort to come to a compromise.
The two parties are set to enter into mediated talks this semester in order to draft a contract for both 2003-'05 and 2005-'07. The talks represent a new opening of communication between the TAA and state officials. This comes after a series of rejected offers from both sides.
In April 2004, the TAA went on strike, citing unsatisfactory offers from the state and lack of movement in negotiations.
This May, the TAA filed an unfair labor practices lawsuit against the state. The suit alleged that the state engaged in regressive bargaining-making an offer that was less than a previous one, which is illegal.
Also in May, the TAA announced that it would not engage in a grade strike. The group had threatened to not release students' grades if they did not receive a satisfactory contract.
A major conflict between the TAA and the state hinges on whether teaching assistants should pay for a portion of their own health care costs.
The TAA rejected state offers that called for payment of health costs saying that paying small amounts for health care would open the door to paying greater costs later.
The state and the TAA have agreed to mediated talks in which a neutral third party attempts to help both sides find common ground and come to a compromise.
TAA officials said they want to have a meeting of all members before they re-enter into bargaining with the state. This meeting is slated for late September.
Both the TAA and the state are optimistic about the upcoming mediated talks.
