Until recently, we have been impressed by the steps that the administration has taken to meet the legitimate desire of teaching assistants to be represented by union and engage in collective bargaining. But the joint effort to secure legislative approval for a collective bargaining framework failed, and now the administration is saying that it can do nothing more. That is not really true. The President of the University of California claimed for seven years that the law of that state prevented him from recognizing and bargaining with the TA union. The campuses of that state endured four strikes and endless turmoil before he changed his mind. In the end, he did change his mind, and now the University of California engages in collective bargaining with its TA union. We don't want seven years of turmoil. We don't need seven years of turmoil. In the end, the University of Washington administration will recognize that TA's have the same right to form a union and engage in collective bargaining that almost all working Americans enjoy. In the end the university will reach an agreement with GSEAC-UAW.

The sensible course is to do it now and spare our campus the seven years of turmoil. That is our plea, President McCormick. SETTLE IT NOW!

Executive Committee,

American Association of University Professors

University of Washington Chapter