A B717 BEGAN TO TAXI OUT OF MKE UNDER CTL OF MARSHALLER AND CONTACTED ANOTHER ACFT WITH THEIR ELEVATOR.

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JUST AFTER PUSHBACK AND FOLLOWING THE START OF BOTH ENGS FROM GATE XX IN MILWAUKEE; THE CAPT LET OUR RAMP PERSONNEL KNOW WE WERE READY FOR TAXI BY QUICKLY FLASHING THE NOSE TAXI LIGHT. THE ACFT MARSHALLER GAVE US THE SIGNAL TO BEGIN A L TURN TO LEAVE THE GATE AREA. SHORTLY AFTER WE BEGAN TO MOVE WE FELT A JOLT INSIDE THE COCKPIT. THE CAPT SET THE BRAKE AND WE BEGAN TO INVESTIGATE WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED. I OPENED MY SIDE WINDOW AND STOOD UP OUT OF IT TO SEE BEHIND THE ACFT AS WE WONDERED IF WE HAD BEEN HIT FROM BEHIND BY SOME SORT OF VEHICLE. IT BECAME IMMEDIATELY CLR THAT OUR TAIL SECTION HAD BEEN POSITIONED TOO CLOSE TO AN ACFT THAT WAS PUSHED BACK SLIGHTLY FROM ITS GATE. DURING THE TURN OUT R ELEVATOR HAD STRUCK AN ELEVATOR OF THE OTHER ACFT DOING DAMAGE TO BOTH ACFT. WE LEARNED ABOUT THE ACTUAL DAMAGE FOLLOWING OUR RETURN TO THE GATE AND VISUALLY INSPECTING OUR TAIL SECTION. THIS WAS POOR JUDGEMENT BY RAMP PERSONNEL TO HAVE PUSHED OUR ACFT INTO A POS WHERE A COLLISION MIGHT OCCUR AND VERY POOR MONITORING OF ACFT CLRNCS ONCE THEY BEGAN TO GUIDE US OUT. WHAT WAS MOST DISTURBING TO US WAS THE GND CREWS OF BOTH PLANES SEEMED TO HAVE NO IDEA THE 2 AIRPLANES HAD CONTACTED EACH OTHER. WE WERE RELIEVED THAT NEITHER ACFT ATTEMPTED A TKOF WITH DAMAGE TO VITAL CTL SURFACES! MORE AND BETTER TRAINING OF RAMP PERSONNEL IS CLRLY IN NEED AND WE MADE THAT SUGGESTION TO OUR COMPANY IN OUR WRITTEN RPT OF THE INCIDENT.