Still, he and other union officials decline to be specific about what they are seeking. We think that should be done at the table. Ms. Schirmer does say that the union aims to win a contract that would allow T.A.'s to go through outside mediation to resolve any disputes with faculty bosses. An appeal through administrative channels might resolve a dispute between a graduate student and a thesis adviser, but it's not the solution to a problem between a T.A. and a faculty boss. One U.C. official, asking not to be identified, says that when the politicians intervened last year, they pressured the university to let the union elections run their course.
Union leaders dispute that characterization of events.
We were always willing to keep bargaining. We thought the university needed the encouragement of the state legislature. But one legislative aide, asking not to be identified, confirms that John Burton, the president pro tem of the State Senate, sent a tough message to the union. Antonio Villaraigosa, the speaker of the State Assembly, also got involved. Outside California, academics are more interested in the big picture than in the state's political maneuverings.