University of Wisconsin System professors, researchers and staff will have the right to unionize if a new Senate bill is approved.

Senate Majority Leader Dale Schultz delivered the proposal to fellow legislators at a public hearing Wednesday. If passed, Senate Bill 452 would provide "all UW System academic staff and all faculty … with the right to collectively bargain over wages, hours, and conditions of employment."

The bill would require faculty to vote on unionizing, after which negotiation with the state regarding contracts would outline salaries, working conditions and benefits. Groups that decide to unionize would not have the right to strike.

According to Rep. Barbara Gronemus, D-Westby, the right of university educators to unionize is imperative.

"I think professors should have the right to bargain, like other [non-university] teachers," she said. "Educators have had a rough time convincing taxpayers in other areas like pay and benefits."

Gronemus, who co-authored the bill, went on to say that she believes support for the bill is growing, but it "isn't something that one person can do alone."

Rep. Dean Kaufert, R-Neenah, also acknowledged that the bill has a ways to go, saying until now the issue "hasn't been a priority."

He added that the bill is building unexpected Republican support, headed by Republican Sen. Schultz, who introduced the proposal. According to Kaufert, Republicans haven't traditionally backed this issue, and the current support "should have a positive impact on [the bill]."

Even with support building, the bill promises to meet some controversy.

The plan would require the addition of administrative positions to handle bargaining in the UW System, the cost of which could cause problems where funds are already tight.

Rep. Kaufert, though, stated that it is unclear whether the bill would have a positive or negative effect on cost to the state. Bargaining and negotiations, he said, would play a role in potential costs.

Should the bill be passed, some UW professors say larger universities might not vote to unionize. UW journalism professor Jack Mitchell acknowledged there ought to be the right for university staff to form unions but said at UW, where faculty already has a strong role in decision-making, there isn't the need to do so.

Other UW staff members agreed. Professor Donald Downs points to faculty governance, saying that it worked well for UW faculty when used. In addition, Downs said the need for unions at UW-Madison wasn't substantial.

"Madison has always resisted unionizing," he said. "The last thing some people think we need is more rules and regulations."

This sentiment is common in top-ranked public schools, few of which give university faculty the right to form unions. Rep. Kaufert said the existence of this right in other university systems is a "mixed bag."

Mitchell said the reason for this is probably the same as it is for UW: "most of the faculty already run the place."

The bill is still in its infancy; the hearing Wednesday by the Senate Committee on Higher Education and Tourism did not come to a vote. Approval by the Senate, Assembly and Gov. Jim Doyle is required for the bill to be passed into law.

1/30/2005: Due to a reporting error, the Jan. 23 article, “BIll would allow unionization at UW” should have read “The bill would allow faculty to vote on unionizing.” We regret the error.