The Office of State Employee Relations and University of Wisconsin’s Teaching Assistants’ Association began contract negotiations Wednesday after a nine-month impasse during which neither group met to discuss working terms for the 2003-05 biennium.
The TAA presented contract terms to the state’s bargaining team including no salary raises and no health-care premiums, a contentious issue in previous negotiating sessions. The TAA has coined the terms a “status quo” offer.
“That’s what it is,” said chair of TAA Political Action Committee Mike Quieto. “The reality is this state of affairs … and we need to pass a contract. We’ve already burned through the entire contract year.”
Quieto, who also holds the position of vice president for graduate employees in the statewide teachers union and is a UW English TA, added the union made concessions in its latest offer, saying “it’s significantly less than the last one we made in May.”
OSER officials could not be reached as of press time.
UW Vice Chancellor for Administration Darrell Bazzell said he was encouraged by the moves made by both OSER and the TAA.
“I think it’s wonderful news that the state and the TAs have resumed [negotiations],” Bazzell said.
Bazzell explained the university does not have involvement with OSER’s bargaining team, though the group represents UW’s side. He added the bargaining team will now take a week to digest the proposal and react during their next meeting March 9.
Quieto said if there is an agreement found during the bargaining sessions, the deal would go before the general membership during a meeting March 15 for approval.
The TAA’s proposal, presented to OSER negotiators Wednesday morning, also includes extending grievance filing to 15 days and language cementing state support for domestic partner benefit.
Quieto said he realizes domestic benefits, including same-sex partner coverage, stands as a contentious issue but has “always” been agreed upon by the Democratic governor’s bargaining team. Even though Doyle provided funding for same-sex partner benefits in his 2005-07 budget, Quieto noted the Republicans in the majority of both the Assembly and Senate have been “downright hostile” toward the idea — citing the protection of morals.
“Whether the Republicans want to take part of ridiculous partisan grandstanding instead of watching out for the Wisconsin citizens (remains to be seen),” Quieto said. “It should be an utterly uncontroversial issue.”
The TAA — a union with bargaining power representing UW’s teaching assistants and research assistants — and the state of Wisconsin haven’t seen eye to eye concerning the fate of the group’s two-year working agreement. The negotiations, beginning more than a year and a half ago, started in the midst of a budget situation that pitted the state of Wisconsin with a $3.2 billion deficit.
Gov. Jim Doyle consequently asked all state employees negotiating with his Department of Administration’s bargaining team OSER to take little, if any, pay raises and to contribute in part for their health care.
However, the TAA argued its members should not pay for health-care premiums due to low wage raises, the cost of living and comparable pay to peer institutions, among other issues. The labor dispute climaxed in April 2004 when more than a thousand TAs and RAs walked out in a two-day strike.
Despite previous drama, head of the largest college at UW, Letters and Science Dean Gary Sandefur, said he hopes the result will protect both the interests of undergraduate students and TAA members.
“In Letters and Science, we’re very hopeful that the state and TAA can reach an agreement,” Sandefur said. “We really depend on [TAs and RAs] and rely on them.”
