Originally Posted by aaront

You should create a petition. It may be a better way to track this than email.

http://www.petitiononline.co m/

Good point, I'll keep this site in mind if I ever have to do this again (which I hope I don't).
But as we've already about halfway to our target of 40 signatures, I think creating a separate version of our petition now would just confuse things.

This. Blows.

my summation of anyone actually angry with the university: "I decided to come back to McMaster for graduate school, knowing that I couldn't afford it, and managed to land a job as a TA. How dare you pay me over 30 bucks an hour in a town full of unemployed steel workers, thats like a slap in the face! I mean, how am I supposed to afford food, I NEED my Masters in Siberian Wheat Farmer Sexuality and I'll be damned if Im living below the poverty line (with everyone else)"

couldn't resist

Originally Posted by zombiejesus

my summation of anyone actually angry with the university: "I decided to come back to McMaster for graduate school, knowing that I couldn't afford it, and managed to land a job as a TA. How dare you pay me over 30 bucks an hour in a town full of unemployed steel workers, thats like a slap in the face! I mean, how am I supposed to afford food, I NEED my Masters in Siberian Wheat Farmer Sexuality and I'll be damned if Im living below the poverty line (with everyone else)"

couldn't resist

The irony of this is now they'll be getting reduced pay while on strike, and may not see the benefits if this is their last term/year of TA-ing.

Originally Posted by aaront

The irony of this is now they'll be getting reduced pay while on strike, and may not see the benefits if this is their last term/year of TA-ing.

This is an interesting issue.

Those who picket will get picket pay. If it's a short strike, and the TA's work can be rearranged, we have been told by our union reps that the picketers will make most if not all of their TA pay back.

On the other hand, those who cross the picket line to keep the tutorials and labs running are being called greedy scabs... when really, we're not the one making an extra $200 a week to carry a sign around.

Go figure.

The greedy scabs are also happy with the current terms of their job...

I'm with the University on this one. Don't negotiate with terrorists.

Is there anything a student can do to support TA's wanting to cross the picket lines?

Originally Posted by kleung

This is an interesting issue.

Those who picket will get picket pay. If it's a short strike, and the TA's work can be rearranged, we have been told by our union reps that the picketers will make most if not all of their TA pay back.

On the other hand, those who cross the picket line to keep the tutorials and labs running are being called greedy scabs... when really, we're not the one making an extra $200 a week to carry a sign around.

Go figure.

So, in your first paragraph, if no agreement is made, then you can use that leverage to get the TAs more riled up at the university when they won't make their pay back.

And the ones who are crossing the picket line have the right to do so, since (I'm guessing) a majority of TAs didn't even want a strike to happen (all of my TAs are in this group). I think it's the union that's being greedy.

OKay, so it looks like Chem 1A03 TA's are on strike as well. The announcement in ELM states that as of now, there will be no tutorials or labs this upcoming week. And they will resume the week after (week of nov 9). Yet, the intropsych TA's aren't on strike..

This is all just...unfair.

Originally Posted by aaront

So, in your first paragraph, if no agreement is made, then you can use that leverage to get the TAs more riled up at the university when they won't make their pay back.

And the ones who are crossing the picket line have the right to do so, since (I'm guessing) a majority of TAs didn't even want a strike to happen (all of my TAs are in this group). I think it's the union that's being greedy.

A lot of TAs don't want a strike. Many of us were undergraduates at one point too, and within my department (Eng Phys), we're trying to fight back and force this matter to a general vote.

Originally Posted by ~*Sara*~

OKay, so it looks like Chem 1A03 TA's are on strike as well. The announcement in ELM states that as of now, there will be no tutorials or labs this upcoming week. And they will resume the week after (week of nov 9). Yet, the intropsych TA's aren't on strike..

This is all just...unfair.

That's probably because your Intro to Psych TAs refuse to go on strike and are crossing the picket lines on their own accord.

Originally Posted by ~*Sara*~

OKay, so it looks like Chem 1A03 TA's are on strike as well. The announcement in ELM states that as of now, there will be no tutorials or labs this upcoming week. And they will resume the week after (week of nov 9). Yet, the intropsych TA's aren't on strike..

This is all just...unfair.

The only two TAs I know for Chem 1A03 have said they're crossing the picket lines, and I'm betting there are many more in that group. However, if they can't get enough to run the labs and tutorials for everybody, they can't run them at all. It looks like Psych managed to do this, while other courses might not be able.

If a TA is willing to cross, but they aren't able to return to the job because of a situation like that they will still get paid, just for doing department work.

So... it was announced today that the strike will be official on Monday.... Will this affect GO buses routes AT ALL? Or will TA's be doing nonsense picket lines at Mac's GO bus station delaying the usual schedules??

It seems that not everyone is liking this strike, even the TA's. Most of my TA's don't like the idea of a strike.

Originally Posted by mumbojumbo

So... it was announced today that the strike will be official on Monday.... Will this affect GO buses routes AT ALL? Or will TA's be doing nonsense picket lines at Mac's GO bus station delaying the usual schedules??

It seems that not everyone is liking this strike, even the TA's. Most of my TA's don't like the idea of a strike.

The official McMaster release says that the HSR and GO will not be on campus during the strike, but will be located close to it where it won't be interfered with.

The picketers are legally not allowed on McMaster property, but we'll see how that turns out.

HSR: https://www.myhamilton.ca/myhamilton...ours/index.htm

GO: http://www.gotransit.com/publicroot/...usdetours.aspx

Edit: Also stay up-to-date with the University here: http://twitter.com/McMasterUpdates

That's bs about the buses. I get the solidarity idea in theory but I'm sure the GO bus drivers don't know anything about the union and union reps specifically representing McMaster's TAs, the issues and the fact that union members seem to be against the strike and want a vote they're not being allowed to have.

IMO its total crap to stand in solidarity with a union when you don't even know what that union is doing and how it is treating its members.

They're just blindly going to stand in support of something many actual union members aren't even in support of.

I don't pay for an express GO bus to McMaster ($226 a month) to be let off outside of campus.

If the GO Transit union went on strike the TAs and Professors wouldn't stop teaching to support their strike.