The first priority of the University of California is to make sure that instruction continues and undergraduates receive their grades in a timely fashion. Thousands of undergraduate students throughout the state have entrusted the university with their education, and we are making every effort to fulfill our obligations to them.

UC values the important contributions that graduate students make in providing high-quality instruction to undergraduates. We have taken several steps in recent years to address the concerns of graduate teaching assistants and to improve conditions for them: The university has exempted graduate TAs from fee increases since 1991 and now pays more than $2,000 of each teaching assistant's annual student fees. TAs with appointments of 20 hours per week for the nine-month academic year receive a stipend averaging $13,600. A recent independent survey indicates that UC teaching assistants are among the most highly compensated in the nation. UC fully covers health insurance premiums for TAs and anticipates expanding these benefits if budgetary circumstances permit.

The university offers both formal and informal means of hearing the grievances of TAs, and we welcome the opportunity to address issues important to their welfare. UC campuses have received very few grievances concerning TA workload issues in recent years.

The University of California currently bargains collectively with 23 units representing approximately 50,000 employees systemwide. A good working relationship with employees and their employee groups matters to us. We recognize that some graduate teaching assistants do not share our belief that collective bargaining in the specific case of TAs could be disruptive to the educational process. But a strike is not the best way to resolve this disagreement.

UC is committed to fostering an open dialogue with graduate students, and we will continue to work with them on areas of the relationship that need improvement.

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