We, the executive board of the Teaching Assistants’ Association, refuse any compromise between supporting international students and the need for online-only instruction to protect us all from COVID-19. As recently stated by the illegally-appointed acting director of DHS, the proposed SEVP order mandating in-person learning for international students is intended to “encourage schools to reopen.”…
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General Membership Meeting on July 2, 2020 Whereas the US labor movement must reconcile its history of exclusion and hostility towards Black workers and other workers of color; and Whereas US law enforcement functions to maintain oppressive systems of gendered racial capitalism, to protect and serve the interests of capitalists, and repress the working class;…
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For more information, contact:Alejandra Canales, CV Vitolo-HaddadCo-Presidentstaa@taa-madison.org Press release: TAA’s statement on Smart Restart Madison, WI (June 18, 2020): Yesterday Chancellor Blank issued UW–Madison’s Smart Restart plan preparing for an in-person fall 2020 semester. With this decision, UW–Madison is prioritizing tuition and housing revenues over the health and safety of students, faculty, and academic staff.…
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For more information, contact:Alejandra Canales, CV Vitolo-HaddadCo-Presidentstaa@taa-madison.org Press release: TAA’s statement on the withdrawal of Jim Johnsen June 16, 2020 On Friday June 12th, Jim Johnsen withdrew from consideration for the position of UW-System president. His announcement marks the end of this failed search which was marred throughout by a lack of transparency in the…
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May 29, 2020 The Executive Board of the Teaching Assistants’ Association, the union representing graduate student workers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, condemns the state-sanctioned lynching of George Floyd earlier this week. We stand in solidarity with protesters in Minneapolis and everywhere demanding justice and an end to racist police brutality, including the inspirational actions…
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The Political Education Committee of the TAA has published its Spring 2020 Voter’s Guide. The Voter’s Guide contains key information for voting in Madison on April 7th, including: Making a plan to vote safely amid the COVID-19 outbreak TAA endorsements for candidates in the Presidential Primary and Wisconsin Supreme court races Information on candidates running…
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As Madison and the university community address public health concerns related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), it is crucial that adequate protections are in place for graduate workers, their families, and their students. On Wednesday morning, March 11, TAA members sent a list of concerns to UW–Madison administrators, including concerns about the burdens placed on…
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UW–Madison policies about graduate students are complex. Some of this is necessary complexity — after all, many of us are employees and students at the same time, and need to be protected and supported in both those roles. But in many cases, grad policy is complex because administrators make it complex — to fit the…
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This week’s Cap Times cover story shines a spotlight on UW–Madison graduate workers’ long struggle for quality workplace protections. The article highlights the precarity and stress of working as a graduate assistant, and the fight for new policies and decision-making power. You can also listen to a short podcast, where reporter Yvonne Kim discusses what…
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Note: This article includes mentions of suicide. Graduate workers and community supporters gathered on Engineering Mall on Thursday to protest the return of abusive engineering professor Dr. Akbar Sayeed to campus and demand stronger workplace protections for grads. “We’re demanding that graduate assistants have a meaningful voice in crafting policies of the kinds that would…
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