The UW-Madison faculty senate passed a resolution last week in support of retaining the Teaching Assistants Association's current health care plan.
The resolution comes in the midst of continuing contract negotiations between the TAA and the Office of State Employment Relations. OSER's current proposal eliminates the TAA's zero-premium health insurance plan.
TAA Vice President of Bargaining Brad Manzolillo said teaching assistants being paid $10,000 a year simply cannot afford any health care plan that requires premiums because the cost of the premiums increases faster than their wages. Over time, he said, this will erode the real wages they receive.
\Getting a Ph.D. is a long and expensive process. TA positions help us get through it in one piece,"" Manzolillo said.
The resolution was proposed to the faculty senate by Dr. Eric Schatzberg, a UW-Madison History of Science professor. As a TAA sympathizer, Schatzberg said he was more than willing to write and submit the proposal.
Those involved said while the faculty senate has no official standing in the contract negotiations, gaining their approval can only help the TAA. The real question is how big of an effect it will have in the end.
""It's a statement of moral support. Coming from the people that the TAs work for, that's a strong statement, but the faculty doesn't determine their salaries or benefits,"" Schatzberg said.
David Musolf, UW-Madison Secretary of the Faculty Senate, said that while the university has a lot of respect within the community and within state government, that does not guarantee anything for the TAA.
""Until negotiations are concluded, we have no way of knowing how it will affect it."" Musolf also added the proposal passed with broad support because it was straightforward and uncontroversial.
Manzolillo said it was important for lawmakers and state officials to know that there are people that support the TAA's position.
He also acknowledged that while the senate's support is a welcome victory, the TAA still has a long road ahead before reaching an acceptable contract.
""This doesn't dramatically change where we go from here, but it does strengthen our position that state employees shouldn't have to pay for health insurance,"" Manzolillo said. ""We're going to argue that even if other unions have settled on this [issue], we feel our position is such that we just can't afford to accept it and we're going to continue to make our feelings known.\
