Members of the Teaching Assistants’ Association picketed at the top of Bascom Hill Wednesday morning, trying to attract attention from undergraduates and the University of Wisconsin officials whose offices are located in Bascom Hall.

The dozens of members held up signs while several hit empty bucket-like drums and chanted “solidarity” cheers.

The TAA has been negotiating for a new two-year contract with Wisconsin’s Office of State Employee Relations for about 10 months and is currently working without a contract but under an extension of the 2001-03 contract that ended last summer.

TAA members blanketed the base of Bascom Hill with colored flyers on sticks, displaying other university logos, such as the logos of Ohio State University and the University of Iowa, saying their TAA makes more than UW’s TAs and project assistants.

“One of the clearest indications of the Wisconsin Legislature’s abandonment of funding for public education is the fact that graduate employees at UW-Madison make on average $2,000 less than those at comparable universities,” a TAA press release said.

Though the TAA had strong words on the prevailing wage situation around the country and Big Ten Conference schools, many members are mostly concerned of the state’s omission of a no-cost health-care plan.

“For me, that’s the biggest concern,” UW geography TA Peter Augello said.

The state is asking UW TAs and PAs to pay a $9 monthly premium for individuals, and $22.50 for families. The state is also asking TAA members to not take a raise for the first year under the new contract, and a raise of slightly more than 1 percent for the next year.

“Health care is one of the most important benefits we have,” Augello said.

Though Augello said the informational picket was to “make as big of an issue” of the TAA negotiations as possible. He said one of the main aims of the picket was to gather a strong response from UW administrators, who are represented on the state’s side of the bargaining team.

“We’re not a neutral party,” Darrell Bazzell, vice chancellor for administration, said. Bazzell has been involved with the state in negotiating the TAA contracts and saw the picketing.

“It was right outside my window.”

Bazzell admitted the state has the ultimate say in what can be offered UW’s TAs and PAs. He said the state more or less invites UW to the table, and UW does not decide new offers independently. However, Bazzell said UW wants to have “good” contracts approved as soon as possible.

“We want to see a fair settlement.”

Bazzell also said there was some discussion that UW could offer to pay the monthly premiums if the state does not sway from charging the health-care costs.

“It is an issue being talked about,” Bazzell said, adding the end results of this issue are unknown.

Representatives from the office of state employee relations said the state’s resources are extremely scarce, and there is little monetary flexibility in their budget. They also said they would be charging half of the amount for health-care premiums compared to other state employees.

Augello did say he personally believes a strike might be one of the only options left for the TAA to achieve their goals.

“I think that our options are limited,” Augello said.

Representatives from the state said striking would not prove to be helpful, and the TAA might even be fined for loss of productivity.