UofT and York U TA Strikes 2015

[DarnDirtyApe]

You really don't get it... TA jobs are given to grad students in place of direct funding as a way for universities to save money. Also, if TA positions were given to non-grad students with no increase in other funding, there would be fewer people enrolling in graduate studies because they couldn't afford to do so. Universities all want to grow bigger because the administrators will make more money. As a result, they try to get as many grad students as possible while providing as little funding as possible.

IMHO, the solution is for the province(s) to step in and reduce the number of grad students admitted to all universities, or at least force universities to prepare grads for work outside academia because now faculty think you are a failure in life if you want a job in the private sector.

 

[nfitz]

You really don't get it... TA jobs are given to grad students in place of direct funding as a way for universities to save money. Also, if TA positions were given to non-grad students with no increase in other funding, there would be fewer people enrolling in graduate studies because they couldn't afford to do so. Universities all want to grow bigger because the administrators will make more money. As a result, they try to get as many grad students as possible while providing as little funding as possible.

I don't know why you'd think they'd give TAs to non-grad students (though I've seen them given to 4th years before as well). I simply would think they should give them to students who elect not to join a union.

Fundamentally, I don't think grad students should be unionized. As far as I know, this isn't the case at many, if not most universities.

If Universities wanted to save money, they'd simply eliminate TAs and have the existing salaried profs do the work.

IMHO, the solution is for the province(s) to step in and reduce the number of grad students admitted to all universities, or at least force universities to prepare grads for work outside academia because now faculty think you are a failure in life if you want a job in the private sector.

LOL. Faculty only give that impression because they are jealous of their peers who are paid more money working in consulting. This was very clear from some conversations I had when I was a grad student ... even if the profs wouldn't admit it. Province should step in and ban unionization of students.

Contract teaching is a completely separate issue, and province should try an minimize that.

 

[DarnDirtyApe]

This is part of the issue - grad students themselves are not unionized, and so have no leverage over university administrators. The TA union is the closest thing they have to a collective voice, hence the conflating of TA wages with the funding package for grad students.

I don't disagree with you, but am more pragmatic - good luck trying to bust the TA union! Recall that the Wynne government is beholden to public sector unions for their support during the last election.

 

[nfitz]

I don't disagree with you, but am more pragmatic - good luck trying to bust the TA union! Recall that the Wynne government is beholden to public sector unions for their support during the last election.

Long history in this country of provincial governments elected by unions, then going to war with same unions. Look at Levesque, Rae, or even McGuinty.

Also, nothing stopping students organizing and striking. It happens if situation is serious enough. My view is that it isn't serious enough, which is why there is little sign of it happening.

 

[TrickyRicky]

The greater issue of how universities are increasingly using TA's and contract employees to run programs is one that is worth exploring and exposing but I still don't get the "living wage" argument.

TAing should be a privileged position of paid internship, not a way to support yourself in this world. You don't become a TA to afford to live in Toronto, you become a TA to gain experience and subsidize your expenses.

If there are too many graduate students needing these "living wages" they should just cut down the programs. Limit say history graduate programs to a small number of students who are on academic track streams. At the master level I had over $150,000 in scholarship money plus government / industry grants for my research and study. That is not a boast, it just raises the general question of what do we have all these graduate students for in the first place if their study and research isn't deemed to have societal value? Someone will have to pay more for more expensive TAing and it will probably be the undergraduate student body.

 

[salsa]

I received this pamphlet today from the TAs at U of T downtown campus.

 

[salsa]

Things were getting out of hand at York University.

[video=youtube;QY8YStXEkN0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY8YStXEkN0[/video]