We are not alone. While the TAA was the first graduate workers union to form, many other grad workers at many other schools have unionized. We are part of a larger grad worker and academic labor movement. Every fall and spring, a group of grad unions get together as part of the Alliance of Graduate…
Currently, our 2007-2009 contract has not yet been ratified and we continue to work under an extension of our 2005-2007 contract. Some developments with the 2007-2009 contract have occurred, and our 2009-2011 negotiations are beginning. To begin, it is important to know how we negotiate our contracts. We bargain with both the University of Wisconsin-Madison…
Last Wednesday (4/15) we brought a small crew to Van Vleck for organizing. Yet again, we (myself included) were held back by colds and flus. 3 organizers put in 9 hours of organizing time, speaking to 19 members, and signing up 2 new members. For the semester, then, we have 36 different organizers, 170 organizing…
Your final General Membership Meeting of the semester will be held from 5-7 pm at the Pres House on Tuesday, April 28th. Mark your calendars and plan to come. It is the most important membership meeting of the semester. We will be building a Bargaining Platform at the meeting, which will be used to negotiate…
After a nasty virus went through the TAA office last week, TAA organizers went out, some hacking and sniffing, to Humanities last Monday. With 7 organizers, we put in 13 organizer hours, had 18 conversations, signed up one new member, and found two more organizers. For the semester, that makes 35 different organizers, 161 organizing…
Spring elections are just around the corner, and because of lowered turnout in Spring Elections, TAA members have the capacity to make a big voice! Where do I vote in Madison? TAA members are encouraged to email TAA Political Education Committee Chair Peter Rickman for a full list of TAA endorsed candidates in their polling…
On Wednesday, April 1st, 10 TAA organizers went to Van Hise, where in 28 hours organizing, we made 34 contacts, signed up 10 new members, found 2 new organizers, and 1 other potential activist. Further, we collected 13 pledges to attend the April GMM, and collected countless bargaining surveys. For the semester, that makes 30…
On Tuesday, we went to Educational Sciences to organize, and despite our low post-spring break numbers, our 6 organizers had 12 conversations, in 19 organizer hours. We found 1 new TAA steward, and signed up 4 new members. For the semester, that makes 25 different organizers, working 119.5 hours, 115 member contacts, 34 new organizers,…
Do you live in Dane County or one of the counties affected by the floods last year? Did you have tuition-related expenses last year? If so, you may be eligible for a larger tax credit via the life time learning credit than you typically would be. While reading the instructions for IRS form 8863 (the…
We had a low-key organizing Monday in an uncomfortably warm Medical Sciences building. We had 6 organizers work 22 hours, talking to 15 members. We signed up 2 new members, and found 5 new organizers. Though we had smaller capacity than other weeks, the progress was still good for our smaller organizer numbers. For the…
