Academy for Academic Personnel Administration
Fall 2003
Round Table Report
1. Institution Information
Name of Institution/System: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Name of Individual Responding: Michael Rothstein
Title of Individual Responding: Contract Administrator
2a. Description of Faculty Bargaining Unit(s) – Size and Composition
The Union consists of approx. 2700 graduate students who hold appointments as Teaching Assistants and Program/Project Assistants
Bargaining Agent: Teaching Assistants’ Association, affiliated w/ AFT
Date of First Contract: June 1, 1988
Number of Succeeding Contracts: 7
2b. Description of Faculty Bargaining Unit(s) – Size and Composition
Number of Succeeding Contracts:
2c. Description of Faculty Bargaining Unit(s) – Size and Composition
Number of Succeeding Contracts:
2d. Description of Faculty Bargaining Unit(s) – Size and Composition
Number of Succeeding Contracts:
3. Activity Report (e.g., status of current agreement or negotiations, details of last contract settlement, etc.):
Currently negotiating successor agreement to cover the period from 7/1/03 – 6/30/05. The prior agreement was in effect for the period from May 17, 2003 – June 30, 2003; the extensive delay was the result of a change in the statehouse (Democratic governor, Republican assembly and senate).
4. Special or noteworthy happenings (e.g., relevant arbitration or court decisions, organizing campaigns, labor agency decisions, etc.)
Currently litigating two unfair labor practice complaints alleging failure to arbitrate. Both cases arise in the context of the TAA asserting jurisdiction over positions that were not part of the bargaining unit. The TAA claims these positions should have been included in the bargaining unit and that provisions of the contract should have applied to these positions.
5. Special happenings related to fiscal issues (e.g., salary reductions, health and dental insurance costs, reductions in force, early retirement programs, program consolidation or elimination, etc.):
The entire health insurance program is being overhauled. Where employees in the past could select health coverage that would be free to the employee, the state now plans to charge all state employees a portion of the cost of such insurance. There is also a salary freeze for the current fiscal year and a 1% increase for the next fiscal year. Although there is a significant reduction in force for the university as a whole, there will be modest reductions in the numbers of TAs and PAs.