Originally Posted by jo87

People are saying that those who serve food should suck it up and accept poor pay. But imagine once jobs become part time and min wage who will be serving you food. Dirty trashy looking people, like the ones you see in a downtown tim hortons

More likely students will fill these jobs, as many already do.

What exactly are they doing when they're holding cars at Sterling/Forsyth and University/Forsyth?

2 of the striking workers visited our class last night to help us better understand the issues on the table. I think we can call agree the strike sucks but I can appreciate what the workers are asking for.

Right now that sector is a 3 tier system. There are x (170, if memory serves) full-time, those with benefits and security. Then part-time (up to 24 hours) and then the casuals who work peak and short hours. They aren't part of the union. Interesting to note: the university hired 100+ casuals 2 weeks before Christmas in anticipation of this. The kicker: they'll be fired as soon as the strike is settled and then they'll be looking for jobs again.

The FT employees big sticking point is the wording of the contract. Currently the university is required to employ (170 - if that number was right) FT employess, in the new contract, the university wants that requirement removed.

The women pointed out last night that those 170-ish people represent the ones who know things like safety and health standards, who open and close the establishments, who clean equipment following industry/health standards, who smile and recognize the students they see frequently and most important, handle our food properly. Most of them have been there 15+ years. They know the routines, the equipment and the menu.

Imagine this: everyone knows some scrawny kid on the block with bad hygiene and a mad attitude. Do you really want him prepping your condiments and handling your food, gloved or not, because the university wouldn't keep it's promise to it's workers and he just found a "great job" at Mac? I don't.

Originally Posted by jo87

People are saying that those who serve food should suck it up and accept poor pay. But imagine once jobs become part time and min wage who will be serving you food. Dirty trashy looking people, like the ones you see in a downtown tim hortons I don't know about you but I would rather have an older lady who looks like shes been working there for 20 years. Sometimes the people they have serving at Pizza Pizza turn me off getting pizza. But Im graduating in four months, so i don't even care anymore)))

Agreed.

I like going to the Centro sandwich place and seeing the same lady every day. She's always nice to me and makes the best sandwiches. When one of those part-time workers is working with her at peak hours like lunch etc and they're the ones putting the sandwich together its not as good, and they're never as friendly.

Majority of the hospitality ladies on campus are really nice. Its been the same ones for four years here and the days I spent in residence having to eat on campus all the time wouldn't have been nearly as cheery without these women to say hi, how are you, etc. I guess its a comfort thing.

I work in food service as my part time job and I can't imagine some of the people I work with being pleasant to interact with on a daily basis.

Every worker at Mcmuffin U should have exactly the same wages.
The neuroscientists and profs aren't motivated by money but a love for their field.
If anything the people who do the 'bad' jobs like janitor or making the same food for years should have the highest wages.
Our 'meritocracy' justifies the majority of people being forced to take boring jobs.



don't be so boring mac students