Originally Posted by deadpool

My graduation will be extended a few months thanks to McMaster changing course timetables to make some required courses I need conflict with other courses, or be offered every other year. Yet nobody is fighting for me?

Saaaame boat. Looks like another one of my courses is going to be canceled unless they can find a lecturer...which means I need to scramble and pick up another course. And the only one I can take that fulfills my degree requirement is full.

Fuuuun shit.

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I'll fight you?

Originally Posted by lorend

Saaaame boat. Looks like another one of my courses is going to be canceled unless they can find a lecturer...which means I need to scramble and pick up another course. And the only one I can take that fulfills my degree requirement is full.

Fuuuun shit.

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I'll fight you?

Aaandd here you have it...CUPE looking out for everyones best interest.....oh wait? So the undergrads are screwed. Well at least the grad students are ok....oh wait...were be called scabs if we cross the line and if not then we have to find an extra 20 hours during the week (on top of a 50ish hour work week as it is) just to make ends meet.

So CUPE considered only themselves and just about none of its member.
Do you guys remember what happened at York? 12 week strike and in the end they got forced back to work for LESS than what they rejected.

Lets keep in mind people, we are grad students. McMaster is letting us have the privilege of having a TA position which pretty much offsets our tuition. $38/hr is not enough? Go work for minimum wage then, cuz thats really your only other option. So cross those picket lines, smile as you do it, pose for the picture as they take one and then go and help the undergrads with their courses

macinsiders is in no way an open forum ( not implying it even should be btw)

Well, so yesterday...

I'm minding my own business, walking down sterling (going back home)...and I see some lady going up to the stalled cars trying to hand out pamphlets and shit... my immediate thought? "She doesn't actually think that they're gonna listen to the bastards who are making them wait?"

But I keep this to myself and continue walking... then I see her coming towards me.

Her: "Hey, you probably have no idea what's going on but.."
Me: "I don't care that you guys are being selfish and hypocritical"
Her: "mmhmmm *****"
Me: "Nope, that'd be you for wasting students' time."
Her: "whatever"

Then she rolled her eyes and walked away.

Geez, if that's how they negotiate or try and get people to side with them... I'd say they're shit out of luck.

people are nuts if they think they are important

http://www.urbandictionary.c om/define.php?term=*****

(edit haha *****? what is this grade 5?)

I thought Professors were obligated to teach as they are not on strike themselves?

Just as an FYI,
Apparently if the professor is tenured, then they aren't obligated to teach during the strike.

[Note: this is from second hand information from someone who has a tenured prof who is not attending]

Originally Posted by Jay

Just as an FYI,
Apparently if the professor is tenured, then they aren't obligated to teach.

[Note: this is from second hand information from someone who has a tenured prof who is not attending]

They also aren't obligated to get paid

Originally Posted by PTGregD

They also aren't obligated to get paid

True. Considering how much tenured profs make, mostly from their research, I don't think it matters to them.

Originally Posted by Jay

True. Considering how much tenured profs make, mostly from their research, I don't think it matters to them.

I believe their compensation is a package deal however, so no teaching = no pay at all regardless of their research.

But we can have this discussion another time

Originally Posted by PTGregD

I believe their compensation is a package deal however, so no teaching = no pay at all regardless of their research.

But we can have this discussion another time

I don't think the university is allowed to withhold their entire package for skipping out on a few classes. Perhaps a reduction, yes, but tenured professors do have academic freedom.

Of course, I'm not saying that professors should be cancelling classes during the strike. The first statement was for informational purposes.

._.

my stats prof decided to cancel our only tutorial 'cause of the strike even though it's him that teaches it....

Originally Posted by A.Marlowe

Actually, I went out of my way to ask the people who were handing out flyers what class they TAed for, of the three I asked, 2 were labour studies. I guess labour studies has a higher proportion of strike supporters.

So far after 2 days, 3 out of 3 of my eng phys TAs came to class/lab. They personally said that they're not being anti-union, it's just that the union's demand is not worth striking for, and the issues are only being made big by the union and not the majority of the TAs themselves. And these are not stupid or emotional people, when they said the union's are striking for nothing, they really thought so.

Originally Posted by ayinaim

So far after 2 days, 3 out of 3 of my eng phys TAs came to class/lab. They personally said that they're not being anti-union, it's just that the union's demand is not worth striking for, and the issues are only being made big by the union and not the majority of the TAs themselves. And these are not stupid or emotional people, when they said the union's are striking for nothing, they really thought so.

I believe that in our dept (eng phys), you will find that to be the overwhelming case. Not to say that there aren't any who will strike, but an informal survey around the dept shows far more 'scabs' than people that support the strike. There is one notable exception, of course, because he is on the bargaining team. Though, he isn't TA'ing (he is an RA) so he doesn't have to deal with possibly leaving you guys out to dry.

Originally Posted by ayinaim

So far after 2 days, 3 out of 3 of my eng phys TAs came to class/lab. They personally said that they're not being anti-union, it's just that the union's demand is not worth striking for, and the issues are only being made big by the union and not the majority of the TAs themselves. And these are not stupid or emotional people, when they said the union's are striking for nothing, they really thought so.

Yeah, as an Eng Phys TA (not one of yours though unfortunately), that's been the overwhelming sentiment in this department.

We will not abandon you for what amounts to a couple of bucks and a line on some guy's resume.

Your TAs were undergraduates once too. In a few years time, we will likely be working with you in the real world.

Originally Posted by Jay

Just as an FYI,
Apparently if the professor is tenured, then they aren't obligated to teach during the strike.

[Note: this is from second hand information from someone who has a tenured prof who is not attending]

Apparently if they chair a committee, then they do have to teach and cross the picket line (this is from a professor who chairs a committee).

I thought the profs were still obligated to teach, but were told they could hold their lectures somewhere else? I'm not arguing what you're saying, but that was my understanding.