To no one's surprise, our survey has found that salary is a big issue to GTAs (80% of respondants think we should negotiate this), as are health care (56%), fee waivers (45%), and the ten-semester limit on appointments (27%). Respondants so far have overwhelmingly been citing these among their top three priorities for negotiations.
Some other issues respondants have raised are maternity leave, training and supervision, parking, and time for professional development. All of these are great ideas for ways to improve our working conditions at KU.
A few other details we've learned from the survey so far: 61% of GTAs who responded are the primary breadwinner for their household; one third of respondants have another job outside of school and teaching, and nearly half of GTAs find their teaching workload difficult (or very difficult) to balance with their coursework.
Haven't put in your two cents' worth yet? Take our survey. Even if you're not a member, the survey will help us set priorities for the upcoming negotiations, as well as letting us know how we can better represent you. The survey is anonymous and only takes about five minutes to complete.
Remember, since the survey is anonymous, you must contact GTAC directly if you wish to volunteer or be involved in negotiations! Contact Katy Martin, GTAC Field Representative, at kmartin@kape.org if you'd like to be involved.
