Graduate Assistant Policies and Procedures (GAPP) Update: Nov 8th Meeting

At the November 8 GAPP committee meeting, we reviewed the language in Section 1 of the grievance procedure with administrators.

Graduate assistants have several rights and freedoms when filing a grievance including the right to representation and the freedom from retaliation. Yet, we know that many GAs hesitate before voicing workplace concerns because they fear explicit retaliation or intimidating behavior. The TAA drafted a preamble to the grievance procedure that assures assistants of their right to file a grievance free from retaliation. The current working language states that

“Any graduate assistant who discusses, inquires about, or participates in the grievance procedure may do so openly and shall not be subject to intimidation, discipline, or retaliation because of such activity.”

A GA always has the right to a personal representative at every grievance-related meeting with the administration. The TAA  worked to clarify the role of representatives in the grievance process and added language that obligates the administration to inform graduate assistants of their right to representation in the initial response letter to a grievance. The current working language states that

“the management representative to whom such grievance is brought shall immediately inform the grievant of their right to representation and provide a list of possible representatives.”

The next GAPP meeting will be held Thursday, December 6th at 1 pm in Bascom Hall 334.

If you have had experiences such as overwork, misclassification, intimidation, or other workplace problems and concerns, we encourage you to come share your opinions and experiences at these meetings. We are the people living these policies, so we need to connect to our administrators what the policy language means for our lives. For more information, contact adria@taa-madison.org.

Read the most recent GAPP updates here.