Impact of new bill on the University of Wisconsin?

[mathgeek]

I've been hearing about this bill that was passed in the WI state legislature removing the right of collective bargaining from all public employees, including profs and grad students/TAs at the UW schools. I'm sure there are some people around here following this much more closely than I. Any thoughts on this? What kind of effect might this have on a place like UW-Madison?

[newms]

From what I've been reading, it hasn't passed yet and doesn't seem likely to pass in its current form, given the opposition it's faced from public employees. I'm not sure how it'll affect UW-Madison, but it bears watching for sure.

[qbtacoma]

From what I've been reading, it hasn't passed yet and doesn't seem likely to pass in its current form, given the opposition it's faced from public employees. I'm not sure how it'll affect UW-Madison, but it bears watching for sure.

The governor is pretty adamant about passing it - we'll see if the Republican party falls in line. But if it does, I think it's going to shut down the state for a bit as people protest until legislators finally repeal it with their tails between their legs. So I don't predict long term direct effects from the bill, though this is clearly a seminal moment in national labor history. I am very interested to watch it play out!

With that said, I don't think UW schools are going to be timely about getting all their grad school notices out.

[eklavya]

With that said, I don't think UW schools are going to be timely about getting all their grad school notices out.

i second this. uw-madison is taking freakin' forever!!

[communications13]

There are similar bills coming forth in other states too....it is very possible this will soon be happening across the country.

[Nurse Wretched]

Which is appalling.

I've never worked a non-union nursing job, and I never will. The difference between collective bargaining and at-will employment is profound, not only in conditions of work, but in respect accorded to labor by management.

[divinemg]

I am currently attending and wanted to jump in with some information.

The bill has not yet passed. Each day that it is delayed, there is a better chance that it won't. This is, as someone else mentioned, happening in a number of states including Indiana, New Jersey and Ohio.

Walker has made an unprecedented attempt to overhaul the right to unionize/collective bargaining by proposing a "budget repair bill" that is unnecessary. The issue is quite complicated but, basically, if there is a deficit of a certain size in a two year period, the state has to come up with a new budget that will repair this deficit. Our budget DOES NOT currently fall within the mandated percentage--Walker is proposing this bill as a way to force through other non-budgetary legislation, most importantly a revocation of the right to unionize.

What does this mean for graduate students? It will be difficult to say until the budget passes. If it does pass, the most obvious bottom line is that cost of health insurance will rise. There are a number of plans one can opt for but, currently, if a student is on one of the three cooperative plans (this is the way most students choose to go), the cost for a single person will go from approximately $19 to about $43/month. As you can see, this is still QUITE affordable. Other than that, the greater concern here is that, if this bill is passed as is, unionization will be crippled (if not all together impossible). Because this is the way the TAA (UW's grad assistant union) voices concern about and bargains for wages, benefits and the quality of working conditions, it is obviously quite important that the right to unionize is retained. If it is not, Walker would have an unprecedented amount of control over the things just mentioned.

My advice: Do not panic or write UW-M off as a lost cause. Our faculty is backing us and I think we are turning things our way. A number of the republican senators are wavering. This is huge--there are 19 repubs and 14 democrats in the state senate. If we can swing only THREE republicans, the bill will not pass.

BUT, please voice your opinion on this issue if you oppose the bill. Just because you do not live here does not mean you cannot get involved or make a difference. Spread the word. Write your representatives, senators, governors, etc. Tell your family and friends. Comment on news stories and voice your support of union rights. Wisconsin is a "tester" for the rest of the nation, as far as I am aware. If this is successful, you can bet that similar legislation will be attempted throughout the country. Walker is one of a number of republican governors elected last fall--all can probably be classified as tea partiers and this is in no way coincidental. What is going on here is huge and is preparation for the coming 2012 presidential election.

If anyone has any questions whatsoever, do not hesitate to ask. I could go on, but that would get quite lengthy. There are some other significant concerns if this passes, but these would not come into play until well into the future. There has also been a significant amount of misinformation circulated by the news media--if you have questions about the nature of the protests, the issues, anything, please ask! I have been at the Capitol protesting between classes everyday this week and I can tell you this: we are changing things. Each day that strong crowds turn out and unions mobilize, our cause becomes stronger. If you can help in any way shape or form, we need it! And if you are considering UW-Madison as an option for your graduate study, I'd suggest doing whatever you can. It will benefit everyone in the long run.

[musichistorygeek]

My advice: Do not panic or write UW-M off as a lost cause. Our faculty is backing us and I think we are turning things our way. A number of the republican senators are wavering. This is huge--there are 19 repubs and 14 democrats in the state senate. If we can swing only THREE republicans, the bill will not pass.

BUT, please voice your opinion on this issue if you oppose the bill. Just because you do not live here does not mean you cannot get involved or make a difference. Spread the word. Write your representatives, senators, governors, etc. Tell your family and friends. Comment on news stories and voice your support of union rights. Wisconsin is a "tester" for the rest of the nation, as far as I am aware. If this is successful, you can bet that similar legislation will be attempted throughout the country. Walker is one of a number of republican governors elected last fall--all can probably be classified as tea partiers and this is in no way coincidental. What is going on here is huge and is preparation for the coming 2012 presidential election.

If anyone has any questions whatsoever, do not hesitate to ask. I could go on, but that would get quite lengthy. There are some other significant concerns if this passes, but these would not come into play until well into the future. There has also been a significant amount of misinformation circulated by the news media--if you have questions about the nature of the protests, the issues, anything, please ask! I have been at the Capitol protesting between classes everyday this week and I can tell you this: we are changing things. Each day that strong crowds turn out and unions mobilize, our cause becomes stronger. If you can help in any way shape or form, we need it! And if you are considering UW-Madison as an option for your graduate study, I'd suggest doing whatever you can. It will benefit everyone in the long run.

It's good to see a perspective from someone currently at Madison! As someone wrapping up undergrad at a smaller UW campus (Whitewater) and applying to both Madison and Milwaukee, I'm hearing all sorts of potential horror stories, and I'm glad that there's some hope for upcoming years.

[thom1820]

I'm an undergrad student at UW, and my stepdad teaches here. I'd agree that the bill shouldn't make you cross UW off your list. It is scary though, and one thing I'd think about is whether profs will stay here if it passes. They're going to be losing money and I'd bet that some of who don't have serious roots in Madison might start looking at other schools. I don't want to incite panic, but it's something I wonder about.

[was1984]

Keep in mind that there is a huge difference between collective bargaining for public sector jobs and private sector jobs. In the public sector, there is little fiscal accountability, so generally collective bargaining is much more powerful than in the private sector. Without pressure from stockholders the government has little reason to resist it. Collective bargaining in the public sector is a significant cause of government waste. Keep that in mind.

[Nurse Wretched]

Spoken like someone who's never had a public sector job.

I've worked in public health and two state academic medical centers as a nurse. Unions are absolutely critical both for attracting and retaining good staff in the public sector. The pay is lower. The benefits are better. If there's no upside, why would people in demand choose the public sector?

[qbtacoma]

Keep in mind that there is a huge difference between collective bargaining for public sector jobs and private sector jobs. In the public sector, there is little fiscal accountability, so generally collective bargaining is much more powerful than in the private sector. Without pressure from stockholders the government has little reason to resist it. Collective bargaining in the public sector is a significant cause of government waste. Keep that in mind.

Are you suggesting that all public servants feel no accountability to the public, always? That they wouldn't want to keep budgets and low taxpayer burden in mind? I find this a dubious assertion, especially as there have always been (where I've lived, anyway) fiscal conservatives who seek out positions in government for the sole purpose of preventing it from spending too much money. These are in addition to the folks who work for government because the genuinely want to serve the public. They exist!

[was1984]

Are you suggesting that all public servants feel no accountability to the public, always? That they wouldn't want to keep budgets and low taxpayer burden in mind? I find this a dubious assertion, especially as there have always been (where I've lived, anyway) fiscal conservatives who seek out positions in government for the sole purpose of preventing it from spending too much money. These are in addition to the folks who work for government because the genuinely want to serve the public. They exist!

No, I'm not suggesting that at all. All I've said is that there is less pressure on legislatures to be fiscally responsible than there is on corporations. Theoretically everything you have said is true, but it's irrefutable that the public sector is less responsible with taxpayer money than a corporation is with it's own revenue. Most of these so called fiscal conservatives end up spending as much money as everyone else after they are elected.

As a result of that, public sector unions have a lot more power than private sector unions. It's pretty cut and dried.

That said, my dad has been a federal employee for 30 years and my mother has been a state employee (as a teacher) for 25 years. I certainly understand both sides of the issue, but I just wanted to clarify the position of those who oppose public bargaining agreements in the public sector. It's not like they are just big meanies who want to make life harder on government employees.

[Nurse Wretched]

No, in this case, it's a big meanie who wants to give $140 million in kickbacks to his supporters and then balance the budget by stripping people of their labor rights.

[newms]

No, in this case, it's a big meanie who wants to give $140 million in kickbacks to his supporters and then balance the budget by stripping people of their labor rights.

The brazen part is that the unions have agreed to the concessions about reduced benefits, yet Walker still wants to do away with ending collective bargaining. It sure seems like a naked political play in this case.

[eklavya]

all this is looking more and more shady. plus, the dept i have applied to confirmed that they are taking longer than usual to decide just because of this friggin situation. i think i've had enough. nothing else to do but say 'screw you wisconsin, i'm going elsewhere'... of course, cartman style

[snappysorbet]

all this is looking more and more shady. plus, the dept i have applied to confirmed that they are taking longer than usual to decide just because of this friggin situation. i think i've had enough. nothing else to do but say 'screw you wisconsin, i'm going elsewhere'... of course, cartman style

Given recent developments in WI, anybody have any insight into attending UW for grad school? I just got my acceptance and the situation definitely worries me...

[Nurse Wretched]

Given recent developments in WI, anybody have any insight into attending UW for grad school? I just got my acceptance and the situation definitely worries me...

Okay, so let's look at the situation:

There is a governor who is clearly the world's biggest schmuck. He has stripped union organizing rights from public employees in an end run that probably violates several laws, including the Open Meetings law, and is unlikely to survive court scrutiny.

GSIs at Wisconsin are public employees. However, there are many, many schools that do not have unionized GSIs, including most private and public universities. The union organizing rights are what have been stripped.

Don't get me wrong: Scott Walker is an appalling waste of space who is waging war on the working class in an attempt to make Obama's re-election campaign more difficult. But in terms of what effect it will have on the average grad student -- unlikely to be enormous. Talk to public school teachers and nurses at public hospitals if you want to know who it's really going to hit.

[InquilineKea]

Well, it's not just this, but Wisconsin is also getting budget cuts this year.

As far as the University of Wisconsin-Madison and other UW System schools are concerned, Scott Walker’s newly proposed budget repair bill plans to cut $250 million out of the System’s funding over the next two years. Of that $250 million, UW-Madison would be taking the brunt of about half of the proposed budget cut. That amounts to the state cutting about 13 percent of the University of Wisconsin’s budget. However, in exchange for this massive budget cut, the bill states that UW-Madison would no longer be under the control of the UW System Board of Regents, essentially breaking off on their own. With this, they would have flexibilities in human resources, be able to alter the costs of tuition, engage in capital projects, and manage their own budget. So what about the other UW System schools? They would face an 11 percent budget cut and not be allowed any of the flexibilities appointed to UW-Madison.

Not sure what the impact of this will be.

[ogopo]

I have been offered admission to UW-Madison, with a 5 year TAship, tuition remission and health insurance. It's guaranteed, so I'm not terribly worried. What I am worried about is that they haven't finalized the numbers. They just said in my letter, these are the numbers for 2010-1011, see the attached numbers for 2011-2012. But in the package they have only included the numbers for 2010-2011.

I wonder if this is because of the issues with the budget fiasco... I hope the number doesn't go down.

Is anyone else in this boat?

[singlecell]

I have been offered admission to UW-Madison, with a 5 year TAship, tuition remission and health insurance. It's guaranteed, so I'm not terribly worried. What I am worried about is that they haven't finalized the numbers. They just said in my letter, these are the numbers for 2010-1011, see the attached numbers for 2011-2012. But in the package they have only included the numbers for 2010-2011.

I wonder if this is because of the issues with the budget fiasco... I hope the number doesn't go down.

Is anyone else in this boat?

Yes, I am in that boat, sort of. My stipend amount is guaranteed but I expect that the number the gave us at interview weekend for the monthly health plan fee, will increase based on what I hear on the news. I am not horribly worried though. Cost of living in Madison is very attractive coming from Chicago.

[complexity]

I have been offered admission to UW-Madison, with a 5 year TAship, tuition remission and health insurance. It's guaranteed, so I'm not terribly worried. What I am worried about is that they haven't finalized the numbers. They just said in my letter, these are the numbers for 2010-1011, see the attached numbers for 2011-2012. But in the package they have only included the numbers for 2010-2011.

I wonder if this is because of the issues with the budget fiasco... I hope the number doesn't go down.

Is anyone else in this boat?

I too have been offered a 5 year guaranteed financial support (TA/RA, tuition remission and insurance). I've read elsewhere that there might be cuts in the stipends of graduate assistants to circumvent the deficits. Also, there is a possibility of younger faculty resigning from UW-system which really worries me as my prospective guide is pretty young.

I am considering to attend another school (UCSB) and strike off UW-Madison from my list. Any suggestions please ?

[ogopo]

It turns out I misread my offer letter. I thought I would be getting around $20k, tuition remission and health insurance but I was wrong. (Please don't judge, the letter is very vague).

The graduate school said that they cannot approve my recommendation for admission until I give them proof that I can support myself. This is because my 1/3 TA only comes to around $9k/year and as an international student I need to fill out the I20.

So.. I freaked out. And I emailed my soon-to-be advisor. He then assured me that he was planning on making up the difference so that I get $23k/year. This prof is awesome.

Complexity, I feel that if you have a guaranteed stipend, they can't take that away from you. On the other hand if you are worried about your prospective advisor leaving, why don't you send him/her an email and ask about this. It can't hurt, right?