The Teaching Assistants' Association could end the nearly two-year process of contract negotiations by ratifying its contract with the state on Dec. 2. While the contract offers minor wage increases, it also dictates TAs will pay for health care, according to the TAA contract offer obtained by The Daily Cardinal. The health care payment was the main point of contention in the past two years, resulting in a strike and two-day walkout in April 2004.
TAA Co-President Samaa Abdurraqib would not discuss specific negotiations, but said the offer is something both sides would be happy with.
'The bottom line of our bargaining platform is that no member would lose ground with whatever offer we agreed to,' she said.
More than 700 UW-Madison TAs went on strike for two days in April of 2004 because they did not want to pay for health care benefits.
According to a TAA e-mail sent to UW-Madison TAs along with the proposed contract ballot, the TAs' bargaining team and members who attended the general TA meeting last week recommend voting for the contract.
'Unlike all previous offers from the state, under this offer no member actually loses ground when the cost of health insurance premiums is subtracted from her or his raise,' the e-mail said.
The average total pay increase was 8.24 percent, and lower in some cases, in comparison to the 5 percent wage increase for unclassified or unrepresented classified state employees. This translates to an effective raise of only 3 percentage points over other, non-union represented state employees.
For example, a senior TA, deemed so by the contract, would receive a pay increase of 6.71 percent, raising their salary from $14,326.50 to $15,287.81; an increase of under $970.
But, the contract stated that if any other state employee union were to negotiate a higher general wage adjustment than 5 percent, the TAA would also receive this higher rate.
In addition to new standards regarding wage and health benefits, the contract also aims to set limits on the hiring of undergraduate assistants.
Karen Timberlake, Director of the Office of State Employment Relations, said in a TAA statement that the state and Governor Jim Doyle are pleased to have reached these agreements.
'These agreements will improve the pay and working conditions for the TAA, and will support the UW-Madison's ongoing efforts to attract outstanding graduate students to the university,' she said.
The statement also said that the new contract will make sure members with families are not priced out of health care coverage for their spouses and children.
If the TAA agrees to ratify the contract Dec. 2, the contract will be sent back to the state and then move from the legislature to the governor.
'Hopefully it will be smooth sailing from here,' Abdurraqib said.
