We are writing to ask every member of the university community to attend a rally today to protest the massive funding cuts to the University of Wisconsin System which have hurt all of us, employees and students of the university alike. Campus unionists and undergraduates will gather together at 11 a.m. in front of Bascom Hall and will then march up State Street to the Capitol, joining thousands of undergrads and state workers at an 11:30 rally.

Why are students and unionists working together? For the past several years, Gov. Jim Doyle and the state Legislature have been cutting, downgrading and outsourcing the public services offered by the State of Wisconsin, including the UW System. UW has already sustained a massive $250 million cut, resulting in 200-300 fewer classes. The majority of state employee unions — that’s more than 20,000 members, including UW-Madison teaching assistants, blue-collar workers, project assistants, clerical and administrative staff — have been working under a contract extension for nearly two years now, with no raises even to keep up with inflation. State employees’ jobs and health-care plans are under attack and undergraduates have faced a whopping 37.5 percent tuition hike (that’s more than $1400/year in Madison) over the past two years.

At the Capitol tomorrow, we will remind the governor and Legislature that the state’s public services, including access to a first-rate education at UW, are valuable assets to the state’s citizens. This rally will mark the first major effort of a coalition of unions and students to fight for a fair tax system, affordable health insurance, affordable access to public higher education and an end to both bad-faith bargaining and the reckless and costly privatization of public services.

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow, 11 a.m. at Bascom Hall.

Ryan Gavin and Jon Puthoff, co-presidents of TAA/AFT 3220

Frank Emspak, president of United Faculty and Academic Staff (AFT 223)