More than 400 graduate assistants and their supporters gathered at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to rally for legislative approval of collective bargaining agreements on Wednesday, March 26.  The rally was held in response to rejection of 15 collective bargaining agreements, including the negotiated 2001-03 contract of the Milwaukee Graduate Assistants Association (AFT Local 2169) by the state’s Joint Committee on Employment Relations in February.  

The MGAA, which represents approximately 850 graduate teaching and project assistants at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, has been working under an expired contract since June 30, 2001.  The rally served to inform the UWM community of the important role graduate assistants play at the university.

"These are the people who help make this university work and help make this university what it is today," Richard Hay, president of the MGAA, said in his opening speech at the rally.  "These are the people who make less than $1,000 a month and less than $9,000 a year, who have to continually fight for the right to access technology or office space necessary for their jobs."

The Joint Committee on Employment Relations rejected the collective bargaining agreement of the MGAA along with the contracts of 32,000 other state workers.  The contract’s rejection meant the loss of raises for many state employees, including more than $1,000 each in retroactive raises for MGAA members.  In addition, the Legislature soon will begin to discuss legislation that could cause members of the MGAA to lose their health insurance benefits. 

Bob Beglinger, president of the Wisconsin Federation of Teachers, commends the MGAA for its efforts in bringing attention to the actions of the state, calling it "an attack we will not accept and we will not let stand."

"We demand that fairness and integrity prevail in our state capital," Belinger says.

Members of the MGAA as well as UWM faculty and staff and representatives from several area unions spoke at the rally. [Brooke Boeglin]

[April 3, 2003]