Originally Posted by JeffB

One of the purposes of being a TA (especially at the undergrad level) is to get a nice reference.

At the grad level this motivation literally dissolves, as it becomes a research-dominated field (and not a 'teaching' dominated field).

As a grad student, your TA means as little as your student number...your published research paper on the other hand...

Originally Posted by FireDragoonX

Maybe you should stop using such a shitty example.

YES wages will increase if costs increase.
If the price level increases, so will wages.

Someone (you) should take a few more econ courses.

It is up to individuals (or individuals represented by unions) to negotiate pay increases.

Your wages wouldn't necessarily increase. If you went on strike, then maybe, yes. But automatically at every insurance company? No.

Originally Posted by FireDragoonX

Maybe you should stop using such a shitty example.

YES wages will increase if costs increase.
If the price level increases, so will wages.

Someone (you) should take a few more econ courses.

It is up to individuals (or individuals represented by unions) to negotiate pay increases.

Um. No. This is not necessarily true, and the example she uses is an excellent example of such cases.

Economists and statisticians don't localize the cost-of-living index to University areas due to the ridiculously hard nature of such a query. Increases in cost-of-living is generally determined by long-term studies of CPI trends compared to what people believe should be the lowest level of utility needed by a person to live.

Basically, cost-of-living measurements are quite ambiguous and have to deal with long term figures and not the short term changes that happen in University communities.

We in a University community have MUCH higher inflation than the rest of society if you consider our specific essential bundle of goods. These include tuition, and textbooks. Moreover, our housing costs rise dramatically from year to year since landlords have realized that rent prices are inelastic; our food costs rise dramatically because a majority of us tend to eat on campus with stupidly high food prices etc.

We are University students with regular part-time jobs where the wage doesn't increase according to our specific cost-of-living expenses, but the TAs --also part-time-- have a union which seems to believe they are cut from a different cloth and are entitled to increases in wages that the regular students are not.

Originally Posted by deadpool

Um. No. This is not necessarily true, and the example she uses is an excellent example of such cases.

Economists and statisticians don't localize the cost-of-living index to University areas due to the ridiculously hard nature of such a query. Increases in cost-of-living is generally determined by long-term studies of CPI trends compared to what people believe should be the lowest level of utility needed by a person to live.

Basically, cost-of-living measurements are quite ambiguous and have to deal with long term figures and not the short term changes that happen in University communities.

We in a University community have MUCH higher inflation than the rest of society if you consider our specific essential bundle of goods. These include tuition, and textbooks. Moreover, our housing costs rise dramatically from year to year since landlords have realized that rent prices are inelastic; our food costs rise dramatically because a majority of us tend to eat on campus with stupidly high food prices etc.

We are University students with regular part-time jobs where the wage doesn't increase according to our specific cost-of-living expenses, but the TAs --also part-time-- have a union which seems to believe they are cut from a different cloth and are entitled to increases in wages that the regular students are not.

tl;dr

When was the last time the TAs got a pay increase?

Wages for every single person is negotiated over time. Ideally, wages increase as the price level does. But because prices are sticky and we are on contracts, we instead have to negotiate every year or whenever our contract is to be renewed.
(by "we" I mean those who work in general. I do not represent CUPE at all)

Increasing price level means wages should increase as well.

Education is a right until grade 12, if you choose to go to university, graduate school, etc, you understand that you will have to pay for the education you receive. Being a TA HELPS you pay for that education, but it should not have to MATCH the price you pay to receive it.

You're benefits are far better than any other part time job, and the university has even offered to increase your wages and dental benefits, among other things.

Get over it, get back to work. (For those of you standing at the picket lines of course)

Originally Posted by FireDragoonX

tl;dr

When was the last time the TAs got a pay increase?

Wages for every single person is negotiated over time. Ideally, wages increase as the price level does. But because prices are sticky and we are on contracts, we instead have to negotiate every year or whenever our contract is to be renewed.
(by "we" I mean those who work in general. I do not represent CUPE at all)

Increasing price level means wages should increase as well.

The majority of us do not work on contract. We get paid what the job offers us. If we believe we are entitled to more we don't go on strike. We find a new job.

Originally Posted by deadpool

The majority of us do not work on contract. We get paid what the job offers us. If we believe we are entitled to more we don't go on strike. We find a new job.

Click here

That's special, you can use the internet.

Originally Posted by FireDragoonX

Click here

That's such a cheap shot. I guess people can start ignoring your posts from now on.

And let the anti-CUPE flaming begin!

Oh dude... I'm SO late to the party....

rohan, what is with all the neoliberalism these days?

Originally Posted by ayinaim

That's such a cheap shot. I guess people can start ignoring your posts from now on.

That poster pretty much only says things to cause drama. It's best to just ignore him.

lolwat

cheapshot?
Rohan clearly does not know what a union does. it's called collective bargaining. if they don't get what they need, they strike to improve their conditions.

and yes, if you're a worker who is not part of a union. if your wage doesn't increase to what you need, you are free to quit.

with a union, the group acts as a whole. If they don't receive a pay increase for example, they go on strike to simulate what would happen if everyone quit at the same time and to put pressure on their employers.

[inb4 so many TAs are crossing the picket line. these people are rightly called "scrubs".]

Originally Posted by zango

Education is a right until grade 12, if you choose to go to university, graduate school, etc, you understand that you will have to pay for the education you receive. Being a TA HELPS you pay for that education, but it should not have to MATCH the price you pay to receive it.

You're benefits are far better than any other part time job, and the university has even offered to increase your wages and dental benefits, among other things.

Get over it, get back to work. (For those of you standing at the picket lines of course)

You see, here's the problem with your statement. Out of high school nowadays, there is very little work that you can do. You pretty much require some sort of post-secondary education in order to have a career of any sorts. Being able to educate oneself, regardless of the phase of life you are in, is a right, whether it be apprenticeship, college or university.

Education should not be limited to those who can afford it. It should be accessible to everyone, including those who are not as well off as mommy and daddy.

Originally Posted by Kathy2

That poster pretty much only says things to cause drama. It's best to just ignore him.

Considering some of the trolls/flames I've seen posted throughout the past week or so that were anti-union (including some videos), and considering how few people said anything in opposition of those...

I'm not agreeing with him (I find it humorous, but not in the spirit of these message boards). But I feel like maybe we should be critical of those who do it on all sides of the debate.