Office of State Employee Relations and Teaching Assistants’ Association negotiators will sit down today for the final chance to bargain a contract, avoiding a two-day walkout Tuesday and Wednesday by TAA members.
A TAA membership meeting tonight would decide whether to accept or reject the newest offer.
University of Wisconsin administrators released a series of answers to frequently asked questions, and also issued a joint statement from Chancellor John Wiley and Provost Peter Spear. The statement tentatively backs TAA’s efforts to get a “competitive economic package” but asserted the functions of the university would continue as normal.
“In the event that a settlement is not reached, the university is preparing for the possibility of a Tuesday and Wednesday TA walk-out and an end-of-semester grade strike,” the statement said.
“Faculty and instructors should hold classes as scheduled. Students should attend class as they normally would,” the release continued.
UW’s news website presented information on the current TAA “situation.” The website, www.news.wisc.edu/taa/, reads that although students should attend all their classes, those who do not go to class would not receive disciplinary action on behalf of the university. The site also revealed that UW would enforce any retaliation to those TAs and project assistants who choose to strike Tuesday or Wednesday.
UW also expects all classes cancelled to either be made up with another course meeting or a compensatory assignment. Spear said UW has a responsibility to allow students to attend the classes they paid for.
UW administration is also assembling a task force to deal with a grade strike that could occur at the conclusion of the semester. According to the FAQ, students would not be jeopardized and are, “assured that grades will be issued.”
Spear offered in an interview that what the state is offering currently exceeds the median of peer-university average.
“The total compensation package is just above the peer-group median,” Spear said, adding the TAA uses a different list of peer universities to determine the median salary range. “[And], that is certainly a point of contention.”
Although the TAA has not revealed what departments or buildings are going to be picketed for strategic reasons, TAA publicity chair and a material sciences and engineering TA Jonathan Puthoff said buildings where the most TAs and PAs teach would most likely be affected.
“We encourage students to come to classes to see what’s going on,” Puthoff said. “We want them to see what exactly is going on.”
He added professors, faculty and staff should generally be aware of what buildings are going to be picketed due to the organized effort on behalf of the TAA.
TAA negotiators submitted two unique contract proposals at a bargaining session with the state Friday morning. One proposal offered TAA members keep a no-premium health-care package and a modest salary increase of more than 1.7 percent. The second proposal demands the state pay approximately 10 percent more in salaries, while keeping the state-offered monthly premiums on health care of $9 for individuals and $22.50 for families in the first year, and increasing over the second year.
Puthoff said the union’s proposal, which would save no-cost health care, would also save taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“The cost to the state is around $300,000 less than the current proposal they’re currently [offering],” Puthoff said of OSER’s proposal giving TAA members an average of a 4.6 percent raise.
Whoever students side with, one thing is for certain: OSER and the university and the union want a solution as soon as possible to begin to operate normally again.
“We certainly hope there is an agreement by Monday,” Spear said.
