City
York University Breaks its own Record (Again)
In 2001, after 78 days of picketing, York University ended the longest strike at a university in Canadian history. Today, 79 days after York TAs walked out on November 6th, the acclaimed university has broken its own, dubious, record.
The Globe and the National Post both blame the union. Even the liberal New Republic argued in an editorial yesterday that the province should legislate CUPE 3903 back to work (I'm kidding, that link is to the Star). With York announcing yesterday that students in four units have the option of returning to class on Monday, CUPE 3903 tabling what it calls a "comprehensive settlement offer"and Premier McGuinty calling in a top mediator, could this be the beginning of the end? What else is being said?
From The Globe:
The interests of organized labour have overtaken those of students. York University has now been shut down for 11 weeks only because of the needs of striking teaching assistants, graduate assistants and contract workers. Equally relevant are the strategic interests of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which is trying to strengthen its hand for a show of force in 2010.
From The Post:
York has long suffered a reputation for extremist, flakey politics and labour relations fixed on ideology as much as working conditions. This strike exacerbates that image problem. Classes may stretch to July, keeping students from summer jobs and internships, and preventing graduates from obtaining marks needed for further study.
From The Star:
As was shown last year with the TTC strike, the province can legislate workers back in a matter of hours - if the opposition parties are onside. That's unlikely to be the case this time, however. While the Progressive Conservatives would definitely support back-to-work legislation, the New Democrats would almost certainly prevent speedy passage of the bill. Depending how obstreperous the NDP wants to be, legislation could be delayed for more than a week. This makes it all the more imperative for the process to start now, for the sake of the students and the future of the university.
York University President Mamdouh Shoukri, in a letter:
We are determined to ensure that students complete their Fall and Winter terms. We also recognize that a Winter academic term that extends into the summer months may have a real impact on students' ability to earn money for their education. I assure you that we will be working to increase the funds available to assist students in meeting their financial obligations when they return in September.
Mediator Reg Pearson, in The Star:
It's really an early stage in terms of discussion with the folks here but I'm hopeful. I'm the eternal optimist.
From a sit-in letter to President Shoukri:
As you have certainly noticed, York University was hit by an avalanche on Monday evening. That happens when you upset a bunch of snowflakes bad enough.
This morning you got us back really good, though. You turned out the lights in the hallway outside your office, so now we have to sit in the dark. It's not that nice to sit in the dark. But then it's not that nice to live in your hallway either.
From York University Anti-Strike Group's wall (name withheld):
Even though York has posted the announcement stating that 4 units will resume classes on Monday, it seems that my ADMS 2500 and ADMS 1000 professors have no signs of resuming classes. It is so weird...... Will ADMS/AK classes really resume on Monday? Everything is so confusing. Does anyone know about this? thx
From yorknothostage.com:
Due to the university and the union's failure to come to an agreement, and the recent failure of the ratification vote, back-to-work legislation is essential to end the strike as quickly as possible. As such, two demonstrations are being planned
Demonstration Outside the Ministry of Training, Colleges & Universities
Date: 26 January 2009
Time: 11:30 - 12:30
Location: 900 Bay street (outside)
(Facebook Event)
Rally at QUEEN'S PARK!
Date: 28 January 2009
Time: 11:00 - 13:00
Location: Queen's Park!!!!
(Facebook Event)
Photo by Jon. from the Student Day of Action - Toronto, Feb 7, 2007.
Discussion
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York University (in common with almost all universities nowadays) believes that the future lies in a non-unionized teaching workforce. They want no tenure; they want teachers to reapply for their jobs every semester; they want to pay as little as possible. I think the statistic is that only 30-some percent of classes in the U.S. are taught by tenured faculty now? Universities are moving to the Walmart model of a disposable, transient workforce.
The TA's, naturally, prefer the original academic model: permanent job security, predictable teaching assignments, etc. etc.
There's really no common ground between the two so I understand the strike. What I don't understand is, where is the money going? At all colleges, tuition goes up 10% or more each year. And yet the cost of teaching can't possibly be going up that fast. Where's the money going? Executive salaries?
This has a devastating impact not only on those who have spent a decade or more preparing for academic careers, but especially on the student body. Even at the undergraduate level, students should be able to expect instructors who are primarily researchers as well (or else universities become no more than community colleges), and who have the expertise, scholarly networks, and reputations to assist students through guidence of their work, letters of recommendation, and so forth.
The fight at York right now is for something much larger than a marginal increase to salaries -- it is for the protection of scholars' work and livelihoods and the right of all university students to a good-quality education.
with a permanent job there no desire to work hard, you basically just do the minimum, Is that what you want from the person teaching you?
But I guess they have no say, they're just hostages here.
Some people take pride in what they do, without requiring any external motivation like money or job security drive that. And some people need their parents to by them bikes every time they get an 'A'.
Dan, how much post-secondary teaching experience do you have? I'm guessing little or none.
The irony about working as a sessional is that you are overloaded with obligations, with a marginal chance of getting a non-tenured position after several hard years work. However, in spending this much time teaching (and the admin responsibilities get far worse with that non-tenured position) you have a hard time doing the writing, grant-getting, exhibiting and CV building that you would be judged by if you wanted to have a *outside possibility* of getting not a tenured position but a CONTRACT FOR A FEW YEARS. The sad reality is that most institutions will never consider hiring sessionals on full time - the rule of thumb with teaching is you will never get Tenure at the school you've put X years into.
We're not talking about coddling workers with unrealistic security, this discussion is not teaching all non-tenure staff like migrant workers. Universities cannot function without this workforce - they should respect them accordingly.
We all have to work for what we want.
I actually blame those lovely teachers who are so used to there jobs and dont want to lose a bit of free time, that they forget the students actually want the education
Are you serious?? As someone stuck in a precarious contract position (not in education), I find it much harder to be motivated knowing I may have to pack up and go every 10 months. It keeps you from engaging fully with your job, whereas a commitment from your employer encourages the same kind of dedication in return.
I would never let a friend go to York.
Completely disagree with that sentiment. I work freelance contract positions in the television industry, and *because* it's a contract, I work my butt off every day to make sure that my employers like me enough to recommend me for the next contract. Just because it's a contract, doesn't mean that there shouldn't be dedication on behalf of either the workers or the employers. It just means that there's less opportunity to take a job for granted.
In any case, I think the Ontario government has let the strike go on, not because of the Supreme Court case, but because it's York University. Had this been U of T, the strike would have lasted a few weeks at most.
More details on my view of the strike in my blogzine: http://prospere-magazine.com/2009/01/23/yorku/
This is a section that people forget about. How many of the 3340 faculty actually have something worth complaining about? The large majority of that 3340 is made up of graduate Teachers and assistants*. And how many of the remaining full time contract faculty actually looking for permanant positions?
Q: If the job security is the issue, why the huge focus on massive pay increases that are completely out of line with the job position and especially out of line with the job position given today's economy?
Q: If one of the big issues is the practice of hiring graduate students in lieu of full time contract teachers, why is this not a more divisive issue? Contract workers want more of the jobs going to them instead of grad students...and the grad students aren't concerned about this?
2. I thought the discussion was about the students? You remember the students right? The one's you've fucked? God, you all act as if the students are a necessary and acceptable sacrifice.
UofT President David Naylor has been ruffling some feathers by not acting as a rubber stamp on a handful of tenure-track profs. For UofT, this minor ripple in the status quo is a major, but necessary, change in attitude. The university tenure system is antiquated, as it was established in a time when universities were elite institutions that trained philosophers, researchers, and clergy; fields like nursing and business were simply not part of the University landscape until recently.
Because research is important? Because what people study shouldn't follow the whims of the masses, nor the demands of the market? Because Universities aren't businesses? Though I guess they are run like them nowadays.
Hi Dan, I'm not sure if you are trying to triangulate my circumstances but you are (not surprisingly) off the mark. I do teach, but am not of the right pedigree for it to lead anywhere. Which is kind of liberating, it is just a nice (stimulating) income when the opportunity is there. Sorry if I don't fit your stereotype of somebody in the teaching profession.
"with a permanent job there no desire to work hard, you basically just do the minimum"
Are you kidding me? Wow. Do you have to reapply for your job ever 4 months?
Teaching and research go together hand in hand. It's sad that schools pay people "just to teach."
If you're "just a teacher" then you're not on the cutting edge of your field. You're only reading up on what others have done. That is second hand information. The benefit of a university education always was that you are being taught by the very same people who are doing the cutting edge research.
There's also a problem in the strike debate because of the different union categories. The strike involved different demands for three different categories of teachers (Unit 1 is TAs, Unit 2 is sessionals, and Unit 3 is graduate assistants).
Sessionals have a VERY different job than TAs. Perhaps they should each negotiate for their own unit, rather than having a situation where Units 1, 2, and 3 negotiate together (although I see the reason they do this - more power against the powerful employer who cannot "divide and conquer").
The "job security" issue has been completely misrepresented in the press coverage, causing people to assume TAs wanted job security. They don't. As a PhD at York, I was guaranteed funding for 4 years anyways. The union actually dropped one of my biggest concerns -- post-residency fees for TAs. I haven't taken a course in 3 years yet York still demands I pay full tuition for every term (including summer). I was disappointed the union conceded this major point -- I wanted a return to the early 1990s situation, when students who completed courses and were writing/researching dissertation had a much lower tuition fee.
But it's the sessionals who greatly deserve security if they want it, such as longer-term contracts -- not term to term uncertainty. I know sessional instructors who have signed contracts to teach and then the courses are cancelled the week before the school year begins. Is that fair? Does your boss regularly hire people and then 2 weeks later fire them?
If the university wants to hire these sessionals to teach so many courses, they must value their work, no? So give them a full time job and allow them time to do research too -- research that puts them on the cutting edge.
"I know sessional instructors who have signed contracts to teach and then the courses are cancelled the week before the school year begins. Is that fair? Does your boss regularly hire people and then 2 weeks later fire them?"
Right on. Thanks for your comments.
just so you know, that has happened before during the recession.. even in the US.. many companies(big 8 accounting firms) withdrew job offered to graduates of top business schools in early 90's.. and nothing could be done...so don't think being a TA that much special...you can't expect companies/schools to pay you when there is no revenue coming in....unversities/companies have no obligation to guarantee you a job.... that's why we contribute so much to EI premium.. just be thankful that we have such thing as EI in Canada
It's absolutely unaffordable. Universities aren't a business, but they do run on money. I urge everyone to look at what CUPE is demanding and judge for themselves if it meets their notion of what people in those roles should be granted. CUPE 3903 is a disgrace.
Is that picture from U of T? It looks like Robarts in the background.