The Teaching Assistants' Association announced Sunday it no longer plans to withhold grades at semester's end.
\We canceled [the grade strike] as a gesture of thanks and solidarity to the UW-Madison community,"" said Jonathan Puthoff, publicity chair of the TAA.
The announcement comes on the heels of a two-day TA and project assistant walkout, which took place April 27 and 28.
""We're very happy the TAA is [canceling the grade strike],"" said Frank Harris, UW-Madison senior and former chair of the UW-Madison College Republicans.
However, Harris said he thinks the TAA's motivation for the cancellation is much different.
""When they [went on] strike, that was illegal and ... kind of de-legitimized their whole effort,"" he said. ""Most people aren't too sympathetic to [the TAA's] plight.
UW-Madison freshman Joe Gillin, who is transferring to the University of Minnesota, said that he felt more inconvenienced than worried over the potential grade strike.
""When I first found out about the grade strike, I was a little confused,"" he said. ""It sounded like the TAs weren't going to turn in the grades at all ... so I was a little worried about that, thinking maybe [students] wouldn't be able to get [grades] until after [contract negotiations] were resolved.""
Gillin then said his worries were put to rest when one of his TAs explained that despite the grade strike, students who needed their grades sent somewhere would be able to get them by going to the TAA office.
""It would have just been a little more inconvenient,"" he said.
Karen Timberlake, director of the Office of State and Employee Relations called the cancellation a ""positive development,"" but could offer no specific comment on whether it will change the state's position at bargaining.
The next bargaining session between the TAA and the state is scheduled to take place Tuesday, but despite the cancellation of the grade strike, Puthoff said he does not expect the state to budge.
""I don't think it's going to further [the bargaining process] that much because obviously the only time we see movement [from the state] is when there's a threat,"" he said.
Still, Puthoff said he hopes the state recognizes the act.
""We certainly hope it will occur to them to good-faith bargaining, seeing as how we're doing our best to keep our end of the process up,"" he said.
