Originally Posted by Buttle

If the TA's do picket, I hope it rains hard haha.

Now remember, the TAs deserve respect, too.

is this going to interfere with classes in any way?

what services is this strike going to directly effect?

I havn't even paid any attention to this issue until hearing about it on campus last week.

Originally Posted by Greco

is this going to interfere with classes in any way?

what services is this strike going to directly effect?

I havn't even paid any attention to this issue until hearing about it on campus last week.

As stated on the course outlines, this may affect classes. I figure that some assignments may be shortened or removed all together, and more emphasis may be placed on a final exam. Also tutorials may be canceled, but the professor may run them by himself/herself.

Think of all the things a TA does: marking, runs tutorials, and general course help. Now imagine the professor doing all these things by himself/herself, and you can see that they're in for some overtime unless they change course details.

Originally Posted by Greco

is this going to interfere with classes in any way?

what services is this strike going to directly effect?

I havn't even paid any attention to this issue until hearing about it on campus last week.

I got an email (I think everyone else got it too, not sure) saying that class rooms might be changed a bit, but lectures are still going. Someone from the Political Science department posted an email that said all tutorials will be cancelled. This can be assumed for pretty much all tutorials and all labs in every faculty, because there will be no one to run them.

How inappropriate would it be if I just started yelling at picketers if/when they block me?

Because I figure I'd bloody lose it. lol

Originally Posted by PilotMal

How inappropriate would it be if I just started yelling at picketers if/when they block me?

Because I figure I'd bloody lose it. lol

I think I'll get pissed too. Trust me, you will NOT be the only one yelling at them. I'm assuming a lot of students are going to get tired of this strike PRETTY quickly.

Originally Posted by Kathy2

Did anyone else see a bunch of TAs/union members between BSB and MUSC today? They were on a loud speaker, saying that the prices of tution have gone up and McMaster is taking all of their money and it's not fair.

They are such hypocrites. A TA strike will take more time and money away from students than anything McMaster could ever do.

One of the things I thought was so stupid - the guy on the loud speaker said "Tuition at McMaster has increased [x]% over the last 3 years. Where is that money going?"
I wanted to scream "INTO YOUR INSANELY OVERPAID BANK ACCOUNT BECAUSE YOU KEEP THREATENING TO STRIKE".

The guy on the loud speaker was obnoxious and I really don't think he was helping. I had time to kill before my bus and stood and listened for a bit and many people who walked by me before going into MUSC were commenting on what a doofus he seemed like.

He kept yelling about how "none of you have any idea what's going on." Telling people they are essentially don't have a clue and are uninformed is presumptuous and probably doesn't go over very well with people. Professors have talked to students about the strike, students have heard about it through the grapevine and at this point the University and faculties have sent out e-mails to students informing them. So yes, many students do have at least some idea of what is going on.

Also the flyers they were handing out claimed their information basically truthful and unbiased and anything else was manipulated. I can't remember the exact wording but it was referring to the information on the bargaining blog. Seriously, this assumes people are idiots. Obviously you are on the Union's side so no, your information is not manipulated and completely unbiased. You're giving your side of the story, just like the University is doing with the information they have provided and perhaps with their choice not to give out the details of their side. It insults me that the few protesters today claimed their information was essentially the "right" information.

Personally I like many of my TAs past and present and I think they're being poorly represented by these types of protesters. The loud speaker guy even said he isn't a TA, just a concerned undergrad student. I feel this whole thing is giving TAs a bad reputation and misrepresenting them. Many TAs are very good at teaching and very kind and helpful, at least in my experience. Of course there are always some bad ones but there are always some people who are bad at any job and its unfair to dump on the whole group just because you had some bad luck and got a stuck with a crappy TA. Just looking at the figures I do think it looks like they get paid a ton of money and I would love to be paid that much for my part time job. However their biggest demand seems to be that they want to be paid for more hours because they put in more work than they're actually being compensated for that that's only fair. If you're not a TA you don't see behind the scenes, you don't see how much work TAs put in to marking and preparing for tutorial and being ready to teach you and handle all your questions and needs. I don't see it either but based on how well I feel some of my TAs do and how many students I know they have to mark for and I imagine they feel overworked. Having smaller tutorial sizes seems completely reasonable to me to, not only from a teaching stand point but from a student's perspective. Lots of tutorials have a participation grade attached to them, how can you participate well enough to get a good grade if there are too many people in your class and not enough time for everyone to participate and engage fully in discussion, or too many people diving the TAs attention? That only hinders our learning.

I really don't want to see a strike happen but personally I appreciate TAs and I would like to see their main concerns resolved and I would prefer it my TAs were happy and felt they were being well compensated. If they were compensated for more hours its only reasonable to believe the quality of the attention and help they give you will be improved. If I was a TA I wouldn't be that happy to put in all kinds of extra hours helping people if I'm not being paid for it. A little extra help is fine but if there are a lot of hours that are going uncompensated that's completely unfair.

I think misinformation and panic is being spread by both sides. By the Union with their annoying and misinforming activists and by the University by not giving students enough info about their side in all of this. It sucks because its the TAs that are getting a bad wrap from this, evidenced by all the people who have been in here saying "omg look how much they make, they're so greedy" etc.

Thanks for that Stefanie.

In keeping with that theme, let's put it this way: It's not CUPE that's crossing the line** to continue providing services to students...it's the TAs taking it upon themselves.

Hopefully many of them do (I had a student come up to me to personally thank me for promising to continue to work during the strike)...and hopefully once all this strike nonsense blows over, both sides, TAs and students, can come to appreciate what a TA does a little better. The TAs can appreciate their job a bit more, and the students can appreciate what the TAs do a bit more.

I believe that the union has been saying all along that they're not going to be blocking foot traffic into campus, so I think the hysteria about having to run through Red-Rover type crowds can stop now.

As I've said before, some of us (TAs) didn't vote for a strike mandate, so don't think that all of us want this. Also, some of us (including myself) have no choice but to picket during the strike for financial reasons. Please keep this in mind when you are thinking about yelling at the people on the picket lines.

Originally Posted by michelle

I believe that the union has been saying all along that they're not going to be blocking foot traffic into campus, so I think the hysteria about having to run through Red-Rover type crowds can stop now.

As I've said before, some of us (TAs) didn't vote for a strike mandate, so don't think that all of us want this. Also, some of us (including myself) have no choice but to picket during the strike for financial reasons. Please keep this in mind when you are thinking about yelling at the people on the picket lines.

I don't think anyone here was referring to being blocked while on foot. We all know that the picket line is to hold up cars, not people.

I don't plan on just running up to the line and reaming people out. But if the TAs who are picketing act like this jerk did today, I will definately be saying something. I agree with Stefanie - he made us all sound very, very stupid and if he's trying to get suppot for a strike, I think that is a very, very bad idea.

Originally Posted by Kathy2

I don't think anyone here was referring to being blocked while on foot. We all know that the picket line is to hold up cars, not people.

I don't plan on just running up to the line and reaming people out. But if the TAs who are picketing act like this jerk did today, I will definately be saying something. I agree with Stefanie - he made us all sound very, very stupid and if he's trying to get suppot for a strike, I think that is a very, very bad idea.

To clarify that dude protesting today with the loud speaker and the orange flyers was not even a TA, he yelled so himself multiple times. Real TAs/RAs should tell people like that to STFU and not protest on their behalf because he makes them look bad people may have thought he was a TA if they didn't happen to walk by when he said he wasn't one.

Originally Posted by sew12

To clarify that dude protesting today with the loud speaker and the orange flyers was not even a TA, he yelled so himself multiple times. Real TAs/RAs should tell people like that to STFU and not protest on their behalf because he makes them look bad people may have thought he was a TA if they didn't happen to walk by when he said he wasn't one.

I don't know.. Just because he says he's not a TA, doesn't mean he isn't one. He had a bias towards the union for sure. I don't think he is just some random student doing it for no reason.

I was more implying that, if they block me and my car from getting onto campus, I WILL have something to say about it and it won't be at all pleasant. I'm a b*tch by nature, unfortunately. lol.

When they tried to hand me one of those fliers today (I had already heard as to what it was from someone who had been given one), I told them to take their union BS, shove it somewhere unpleasant, and stop trying to screw with my education. Was that too harsh? Probably...but I'm sick of all these groups threatening to strike - its getting tiresome, its getting annoying, and I'm no longer putting up with the crap.

Originally Posted by sew12

To clarify that dude protesting today with the loud speaker and the orange flyers was not even a TA, he yelled so himself multiple times. Real TAs/RAs should tell people like that to STFU and not protest on their behalf because he makes them look bad people may have thought he was a TA if they didn't happen to walk by when he said he wasn't one.

I just assumed that guy was a TA as well. I don't even know what to say to that, I literally can barely believe someone would actually do that. I'm glad it was miserable weather today for him...

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If CUPE does decide to strike, I don't want to be obnoxious to them (despite how good it might feel). However, I would like to do something mildly humorous that keeps people from taking them seriously. Not on the level of dancing with body glitter and a boom box or anything, maybe just yelling welcome week cheers to drown them out, or carrying XKCD style protest signs. I'm sure the picketers who don't support the cause would find it quite funny as well.

Originally Posted by A.Marlowe

If CUPE does decide to strike, I don't want to be obnoxious to them (despite how good it might feel). However, I would like to do something mildly humorous that keeps people from taking them seriously. Not on the level of dancing with body glitter and a boom box or anything, maybe just yelling welcome week cheers to drown them out, or carrying XKCD style protest signs. I'm sure the picketers who don't support the cause would find it quite funny as well.

We've got an xkcd sign already made and ready to go. Just need to get a few more scrabble boards, folding card tables and chairs.