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TAA gets enough signatures to conduct paper vote for strike
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by Matthew Dolbey
Friday, April 9, 2004
The Teaching Assistants Association gathered enough member signatures to take the next move for a strike.
The TAA had to receive enough support from its membership by pledging to strike to demonstrate their demands.
TAs and PAs have been nearing their 10th month of contract negotiations and work without a contract. Many TAA members believe state negotiators have not been bargaining in good faith. They have requested either a no-cost health benefit plan or comparable working wages to peer institutions.
State representatives say the resources are unavailable because of the state’s budget crisis.
The subsequent step for TAs and PAs in affected University of Wisconsin departments to finalize a walkout vote is to send out a paper ballot, with at least two-thirds voting “yes” to strike. The results should be known as soon as April 19.
Jonathan Puthoff, TAA chair of publicity and TA in material sciences and engineering, noted the importance of preparing a paper ballot vote.
“It’s an incredibly big step,” Puthoff said, but noted the work for getting a “yes” vote is just beginning. “The bigger step is the actual ballots that go out tomorrow.”
Math TA and TAA co-president Boian Popunkiov feels graduate-student employees should follow the union’s recommendation to strike once a decision is made.
“This is a democratic union,” Popunkiov said. “I think TAs should follow what the union votes for.”
Popunkiov could not name the departments that would be affected by the work action, but he said there was a “very large list” of affected departments, involving more than 1,000 affected TAs and PAs.
“Over 30 [departments] are on the list,” Popunkiov said. “We’re not releasing that list to the public…mostly for strategic reasons.”
Popunkiov stressed that the union is only asking TAA members in affected departments to walk out, though he added, “We’d like other members to strike as well.”
Most departments that would participate in the work action would mostly do so in the central campus to make a greater impact.
According to a TAA press release, a March 25 membership meeting decided the strike would consist of a two-day walkout, followed by a grade strike. During a grade strike, TAs and PAs not turn in the grades of their students at the conclusion of the spring semester.
TAs at the University of Michigan voted for a similar work action, Popunkiov said, adding the university administration submitted to the union requests before the official work action started.
“The university agreed with their demands, which is exactly what we hope will happen,” Popunkiov said.
Peer university TAs have been “very supportive” and some have even sent letters to UW Chancellor John Wiley, Popunkiov said.
Under Wisconsin statutes, however, a strike by the TAA is considered illegal. Office of State Employee Relations executive assistant Susan Crawford said the TAA could be subject to fines or discipline if they decide to strike, a proposition that does not faze Puthoff.
“If you want to talk about civil disobedience…we’re well aware we [would be] breaking the law,” Puthoff said. “We’re sticking our necks out for the principle of the thing.”
