As an increasing number of Big Ten universities adopt health care policies for faculty, staff and their domestic partners, UW-Madison now faces increased premiums with little progress toward domestic partnership benefits, according to Mike Quieto, former president and member of the Teaching Assistant Association.
According to the revised health care benefit policy released Aug. 27, faculty and staff of the UW System will pay an increased premium while their health care plan remains unchanged. The premiums range from $25 per month to $3,000 per year, depending on the chosen coverage.
Many faculty and staff of the UW System said they believe this revised plan is unfair. Under the plan, academic faculty and staff do not have collective bargaining rights, preventing them from having representation before the state Legislature, according to Stephanie Lundberg, public affairs coordinator for the Wisconsin federation of teachers. However, the UW System Board of Regents will meet Oct. 9 and 10 to finalize the new health care plan.
Additionally, UW-Madison students, staff and faculty members of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender group and TAA are lobbying for extensive healthcare insurance policies for faculty and staff domestic partners that are currently only offered to students and their domestic partners, according to UHS Director Kathy Poi. According to Quieto, about eight of the Big 10 universities have adopted such policies.
Under these policies, domestic partnership covers all unmarried couples of any sexual orientation.
\We have been fighting for domestic partnership benefits [for 10 years] ... and we will continue to do so,"" Quieto said.
Approximately four years ago, under former Gov. Tommy Thompson, the TAA included domestic partnership benefits in their contract, demanding that if other state employees received these benefits, the TAA would too. The Republican state Legislature threw out the contract because it contained the words ""domestic partnership,"" a concept which it refuses to advocate, Quieto said.
The TAA has estimated that giving TAs domestic partnership benefits would cost the state approximately $100,000, which is relatively minimal, according to Quieto.
Quieto said the current policy discriminates against unmarried couples.
""It is a gay rights issue on the matter of equal access to law, but it is also a worker issue in terms of equal pay for equal work,"" Quieto said. ""A married person receives more compensation for the same job as someone with a partner who is not legally married.\
