Panel approves TAA contract

The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Employment Relations on March 20 approved the 1999-2001 contract for the Teaching Assistants Association. It now goes to the full Legislature for approval.

The new contract provides pay raises for teaching assistants and program assistants and creates three categories for TAs — inexperienced, experienced, and senior.

Salaries for inexperienced TAs will increase from $19,749 this spring to $20,341 this fall and $20,951 next spring. Pay for experienced TAs will increase from $21, 141 this spring to $21,844 this fall and $22,541 next spring.

The “inexperienced dissertator” title will be eliminated this fall. TAs paid at that rate will continue to receive that pay until they qualify for senior TA status, which will pay $27, 355 this fall and $27, 629 next spring, up from $27, 084 this spring.

Other changes to the TAA contract include paying PAs no less than the experienced TA rate when they move from a PA to a TA position, and requiring departments to provide eight hours of training for new TAs. Two hours of training must be provided after the beginning of the semester.

The contract also specifies that departments cannot force employees to pay for resources necessary for teaching, research or other mandatory work. And in departments where workload committees do not exist, the TAA can request mandatory union-management meetings to address workload concerns.