Students, unions rally for justice
They protest budget actions

By Bill Novak

Mike Quieto leads the singing of labor carols Friday night on State Street. He is a member of the Teaching Assistants Association, which was rallying to bring attention to state budget and labor policies. (Photo by Michelle Stocker)

Economic injustice to state employees and university students should be the focus of the state Legislature, said student and union leaders rallying on the Capitol steps Friday evening.

The rally drew about 100 students, state workers and labor activists, following a musical march by about two dozen rank and file members of the UW-Madison Teaching Assistants Association up State Street to the Capitol.

Led by TAA member Mike Quieto as Santa Claus, the sign-toting union carolers treated State Street to labor-friendly holiday lyrics including "God Bless You Very Wealthy Men" (sung to "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"), "Hark, the Union Workers Sing" (sung to "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing") and of course that old holiday standard, "Rudolph the Union Reindeer."

The TAA, AFSCME Local 171, the Student Labor Action Coalition and the UW Campus Coalition joined forces at the rally.

Tuition hikes, increasing health care premiums and state budget cuts are the main concerns.

"We're not having a budget cut crisis, we're having a distribution crisis," said Dawn Biehler, a UW graduate student and spokesperson for the TAA. "Students are facing tuition hikes and there are no wage hikes for state workers."

UW has about 2,800 graduate student teaching assistants. Biehler said about 60 percent of the teaching assistants are members of Local 3220.

Eric Robson of Local 171, representing the blue-collar and technical workers on campus, said if the current trend of hiking tuition and cutting pay continues, it will have a dramatic effect on the future makeup of the UW campus.

"Most of us won't be able to afford to have our kids attend school here," Robson said.

Erin Johnson of Associated Students of Madison said tuition hikes make it difficult for students to continue attending classes at UW.

"For every $100 in tuition increases, there are 4 percent more students who can't afford to come here," she said.

Frank Stein of the Wisconsin Health Coalition said one of the critical needs in America today is affordable health care.

"Forty-three million Americans have no health insurance," Stein said. "And we pay more for health care in this country than anywhere else in the world."

Megan Boyle of Wisconsin Citizen Action said a health care plan in Wisconsin that would cover all workers and their families at predictable and reasonable costs is necessary to keep workers from worrying.

"Nearly everyone here (at this rally) is one paycheck away from losing their health care benefits," Boyle said.

Randy Brink, executive board member of Local 171, said in a prepared statement that the economic stimulus package being looked at by the Legislature is only stimulating to the wealthy because of the tax breaks they'll get.

He called on the Legislature to stop giving corporate welfare and start helping the people.

"Workers for the state are facing drastic increases in health care costs and significant pay cuts at the bargaining table," Brink said. "The UW System is facing budget cuts that guarantee another dramatic increase in tuition that will sink students' families, already struggling to stay afloat."

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