Hundreds of state employees packed the state Capitol building’s rotunda and mezzanine yesterday, protesting the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Employee Relations’ rejection of their contracts.

The Wisconsin Federation of Teachers, the parent union of the local Teacher’s Assistants Association, sponsored the rally.

“The categorical rejection of all state-employee contracts negotiated in good faith cannot go unchallenged,” WFT president Bob Beglinger said. “Our members do the work that keeps Wisconsin citizens safe and healthy.”

Emily Kremer, a sociology TA at the University of Wisconsin and a member of the TAA, said teacher’s assistants stood shoulder to shoulder with state workers from many agencies as the committee issued its decision last Thursday.

“The [joint committee] listened to us testify for five hours and in the end voted against us in a vote that was probably decided before we even got there,” Kremer said. “A lot of people are very unhappy and hurt by this.”

Kremer said rejecting state-employee contracts affects many UW workers, from TAs and project assistants to custodial, administrative and departmental staff, UW physical plant workers and nurses at UW Hospital.

Kremer said tuition wouldn’t increase due to a pay raise for TAs.

“Our salaries are paid by the state,” Kremer said.

But tuition depends on UW’s budget, which the state bases on the funds it has available. With Gov. Jim Doyle vehemently promising not to raise taxes, every dollar spent on state employees represents a dollar unavailable for other spending, such as the UW system budget.

“Today a number of people spoke out about their personal situation,” said Rebekah Ravenscroft-Scott, a UW sociology TA and member of TAA who attended the rally at the Capitol. “We had a done deal as far as we were concerned. We had negotiated with the Department of Education and the Department of Employee Relations and were simply waiting for the [committee’s] approval.”

Other state workers’ unions, such as the Wisconsin State Employees Union, have tentatively said they will not return to the bargaining table. Ravenscroft-Scott said negotiations between the TAA and the Department of Employee Relations would depend on a consensus vote of the union.

“We’re waiting for back pay; this is money we’ve already put in the hours for,” Ravenscroft-Scott said.

Boian Popunkiov, a math TA, said the contracts being negotiated were approved in March 2002 and were supposed to be in place for this year.

“It’s important to make the distinction that these are last year’s contracts being negotiated,” Popunkiov said. “How are we going to bring a new contract to the table if we haven’t had the old one approved yet?”

Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison, who spoke yesterday at the rally, said he is introducing a privileged resolution to the Legislature Thursday to allow a vote on the contracts, despite the joint-committee rejection.

“I haven’t heard from many Republicans, and their support will be necessary for the resolution to pass,” Black said. “But I’ve experienced an outpouring of support from legislators.”

Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Steve Freese, R-Dodgeville, said Black’s plan was “nothing more than political gamesmanship.”

Freese said regardless of how employees feel about the joint-committee vote, state law clearly states the Legislature cannot vote on the contracts until they are resubmitted or renegotiated.

Popunkiov said state workers were upset over the action of the joint committee.

“In general, we’re pretty pissed off about it,” Popunkiov said.