MADISON, Wis. -- Unionized teaching assistants at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are walking off the job again today.

UW TEACHERS ASSISTANTS VIDEO Report From Bascom Hill Tuesday UW TA's Vote To Strike RESOURCES WISC-TV Editorial: Work This Thing Out ... Key Sticking Point: Insurance TAA Web Site

They say they couldn't reach a contract agreement with state officials in almost four hours of talks with the state's bargaining team Monday.

On Tuesday, some TAs picketed in front of campus buildings, including Bascom Hill. There's a rally at the state Capitol planned for today.

The director of state employee relations, Karen Timberlake, says under state law and contract provisions, a work stoppage isn't legal.

The assistants have been without a new contract for 10 months.

The walkout affects as many as 3,000 teaching and project assistants who collectively teach about 15,000 undergraduates at the Madison campus.

If the walkout lasts longer than the planned two days, it could seriously affect finals and grades, but university officials said they are trying to hold classes as normal.

"Students should attend class as they normally would," Chancellor Wiley and Provost Spear said in a statement on the UW's Web site. "The university administration supports the efforts of the Teaching Assistants' Associatin to secure a competitive economic package. It is our hope that the TAA and the state will arrive at a settlement."

Teaching assistants at the UW earn free tuition and about $12,000 a year.

"News 3 At Noon" will have a live report.