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From: myers@uwvax.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: Union Opinion
Message-ID: <198@uwvax.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 12-Apr-84 15:40:36 EST
Article-I.D.: uwvax.198
Posted: Thu Apr 12 15:40:36 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 13-Apr-84 20:50:42 EST
References: <7100053@hp-pcd.UUCP>
Organization: U of Wisconsin CS Dept
Lines: 29

>Are there any folks in a high-tech environment out there who are members
>of a union?  I would like to hear some more opinions.

>Jim Donnelly

I'm not sure being a CS teaching assistant qualifies me as being in a high-
tech environment, but I'm a member of the Madison TAA, the first teaching
assistant organization in the US.  The union is currently battling for the
right to collectively bargain with other state employees over wages and
benefits, lost recently when the administration backed out on a
prior agreement.  Under the present structure, often only administrators
will hear TA grievances.  For instance, 5 TA's in the Spanish department
were fired in accordance with a departmental policy which had not been
posted, so the TA's affected didn't know that they wouldn't have funding
until registration week.  The present grievance structure refuses to
hear their case because they're not TAs.  How's that for a Catch-22?  They
can't file a grievance over being fired because they're no longer employees.

In the past, the TAA has been successful in keeping class sizes down, and
in getting a health plan for TA's.  I'm proud to be a member, but sorry
that I'm not more active in the organization.

If you're interested in info on TA unions, let me know and I'll see that
info gets sent to you on the local (which is affiliated with the AFT).

-- 
Jeff Myers
ARPA: myers@wisc-rsch.arpa
uucp: ..{seismo, ihnp4}!wisc-rsch!myers