TAA: No more grade strike, negotiations to continue

by Matthew Dolbey

Campus Editor

The Teaching Assistants’ Association canceled the grade strike that would have taken place at the end of the semester at a strike committee meeting Sunday.

According to a TAA release, one of the deciding factors to call off withholding grades was the “overwhelming success” of the two-day job action where more than 1,000 TAs and PAs walked off the job.

TAA publicity chair and material sciences and engineering TA Jonathan Puthoff said the strike committee called off the grade strike also as a sign of appreciation from the Madison and campus community.

Puthoff and TAA co-president and math TA Boian Popunkiov agreed the next step to settle a contract with the Wisconsin Office of State Employee Relations is to put pressure on the governor and legislators.

“We’ve decided to cancel the grade strike as a gesture of thanks to those who have stood with us, and instead will focus our energies on the legislators in the Capitol who must directly oppose our health care and collective bargaining rights,” Popunkiov said in a release.

Dean of the College of Letters and Science Phil Certain said the canceled grade strike would not just be good news for University of Wisconsin administrators, but for students as well.

“We’re really happy to see this happen,” Certain said. “I’ve always known that the TAs [have] always been devoted to their students. I’m pleased that students won’t go into the last week of class with this hanging over their head.”

Melissa Sandgren, a sophomore applying to the UW School of Journalism this semester, said the decision to not withhold grades helps the TAA’s standings for students.

“If they would have withheld grades, I would’ve been irate,” she said.

Sandgren, who did not necessarily support the decision to strike, said the TAs and PAs would earn some more respect among the undergraduate population by not holding a grade strike.

However beneficial the decision not to hold a grade strike is to students and professors, Puthoff said the TAA’s fight for a contract is far from over.

“We’re not throwing in the towel,” Puthoff said.

OSER and TAA negotiators will meet again Tuesday afternoon for a bargaining session, where the TAA will present the newest round of proposals. The TAA may try to keep benefits included in the contract that no-premium health care qualified TAs and PAs receive.

Puthoff said the task of getting free health care is difficult because Gov. Jim Doyle and many state legislators ideologically support state employee co-payments.

“It’s about politics, not economics,” Puthoff said, adding that the TAA estimates the state would save more than $300,000 if negotiators would agree to no-cost health care. “It’s hard to combat.”

Even though the strike committee voted to take the grade strike off the table, Puthoff said pressure would still be applied to OSER and state legislators. The next step for the union will most likely be unveiled this week and will be “very public,” he said.