After a conversation with the Office of State Employment Relations (OSER), we feel like the 2007-2009 contract is progressing along. In this conversation, we heard that OSER is preparing our contract for consideration in the September session of the state legislature. Many of you probably know that as state employees, our contracts must be ratified…
Health insurance coverage is one of the most important victories that our union has won for us as graduate student workers. But it doesn’t mean a thing to our health insurance coverage if we don’t enroll. To be covered by health insurance on September 1, make sure that you are enrolled. The University has a…
Hopefully you got to spend some of your summer break from academic work with a few good books. Before the academic year begins in earnest and you have lots of reading to do for your work, take a minute to check out a cool blog for insight and commentary from one of the most trenchant…
As we head into the homestretch of summer break before the academic year begins again, the TAA is ramping up its programming. Over the next two weeks, we have a number of program events and actions, mostly related to our Orientation Organizing Campaign. We hope all rank-and-file members of our union will consider getting involved…
We all remember the first days on campus as a new grad student. Getting acclimated to Madison, figuring out the whole grad assistant role, meeting new people, and becoming part of an intellectual community: those days were heady times that shape our experiences in grad school today. In just a couple of weeks, thousands of…
We have in our local a dynamic of the union being “of, by, and for” graduate assistants. No one tells us what to do – we decide it ourselves. From collective bargaining of a contract to political action to general business of our organization, this union is run for graduate assistants. But for that “of,…
There is simply no better way to come back to campus for an academic year than with a party on the Terrace. We’re going to kick off the year in style with a big party full of grad assistants, with plenty of free food and beer, rockin’ music, and a small bit of union business.…
Every September, the local labor movement celebrates the holiday for working people, Labor Day, with a big party. Consider yourselves invited to attend as working people and members of the baddest graduate employee union in all the land. The South Central Federation of Labor (SCFL, or “scuffle”), the local labor council for unions in this…
As noted previously (once or twice, or three times), Orientation is a critical time for our union to engage new graduate assistants, build membership, and recruit new activists and leaders. We need you to get involved to make our Orientation Organizing Campaign successful. A good campaign here means a stronger union, and a stronger union…
To start the semester and the academic year off right, the TAA will be putting on its annual “Welcome Back Happy Hour” event on Friday, September 4th. So save the date now and plan to be there with new and old union members and fellow graduate assistants. Where else but the annual TAA Welcome Back…
