Graduate Students Renewing TAA Membership in Face of Uncertain Outcome of Budget Repair Bill

Graduate students will gather at the Knapp House (130 E. Gilman St.) on Thursday, April 14, 2011 for a “Dues Collecting Party” from 5 to 8 p.m. to renew their membership in the Teaching Assistants’ Association (TAA). Gov. Walker’s budget repair bill mandates changes in the dues collection system for all public sector unions and if implemented would require the TAA to re-sign members.

Graduate student employees are committed to fighting to regain full collective bargaining, protecting workers’ rights and supporting higher education in Wisconsin. More than 300 graduate students have already signed pledges to continue their TAA membership.

“Now is a critical moment for us to stand together. The status quo of the benefits we get as graduate student employees here on campus is the result of more than 40 years of organizing by previous generations of TAA members. We are now sending a strong message to the state legislature that we will come out of this stronger than ever as a union and continue working to protect the rights of graduate student workers on campus,” said Alex Hanna, TAA co-president.

If the budget repair bill goes into effect union dues would no longer be collected through the university payroll system. While the Office of Human Resources announced in a message to employees on April 11, 2011 that the university will not implement the changes to health insurance premiums and stop union dues collection at the end of April as previously announced, the TAA is preparing members for the likelihood that these changes will go into effect in the near future.

After three weeks of visiting graduate students across campus to talk about the importance of the TAA, Thursday’s event is the kick-off of a membership renewal and card signing drive. “Some of the graduate employees we talked with this week were a little confused about the future of our union. But after clarifying with people that Governor Walker can’t ban the TAA and take away our rights to organize, the response has been overwhelmingly supportive and graduates across campus are excited to renew their membership,” said Katie Lindstrom, TAA vice-president of organizing.

The Teaching Assistants’ Association represents nearly 3,000 graduate employees at the University of Wisconsin – Madison and is the oldest graduate employee union in the world. Since its founding in 1969 the TAA has won tuition remission for TAs and PAs, as well as affordable health insurance, wage increases and in 2010 ran a campaign on campus to stop the NatUp referendum, saving all students $108 per year in additional segregated fees.

For immediate release

April 13, 2011

Contact:

Katie Lindstrom, TAA Vice-President of Organizing, 608-469-0320

Kevin Gibbons, TAA Co-President: 608-520-3560

Alex Hanna, TAA Co-President, 765-404-6996

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