But the strike was really all about the contract faculty. They retained conversions (which was never by seniority, by the way) as well as gained the new teaching stream, with better terms than the previous offer. It was much better than the Forced Ratification offer, and it was much, much better than if 3903 didn’t go on strike at all.

Plus, nobody cared about the stupid 2010 thing, except for a few CUPE Ontario sycophants. Really. Pretty much EVERYBODY was planning on ratifying a three-year deal.

But, 3903 indeed did lose out — in the sense that all concerned lost out. York is a terribly-managed institution. This strike is merely a symptom of this. Other symptoms include past failures to secure engineering accreditation, misplacing/losing money frequently, serious problems with security, mismanagement of student information, inability to secure alumni support, etc., etc.,. These things sour York staff’s attitude towards York.

Just think: the 3903 executive was ostensibly so radical and out-of-step with reality, and yet 3400 people remained at least apathetic, if not supportive, right until the end.

While — you’re right — there is to be no strike in 2010, if Shoukri doesn’t pull of a dramatic turn-around of the institution in the next couple of years, you can expect one in 2011.

You’re not fooling anyone! The teaching stream only affects the contract faculty. This contract is the exact same for TAs & RAs! The teaching stream was a small grievance on a very large list.

CUPE 3903- you lose!

Thanks, but the contract is in fact not identical at all. It is in fact better than the one we rejected, which is why CUPE agreed to SETTLE with the Administration.

We have lower wage increases than the previous contract but better extended health benefits — which is consistent with what CUPE was always saying.

But, most importantly, it preserves the conversions programme, which — as I tried explaining ad nauseum to Coleman — was what the whole strike was about. And, we have a better teaching stream agreement than in the CA we rejected.

What’s more, despite the fact a mediator-arbitrator was appointed as a result of the legislation, we didn’t actually need the interest arbitration to get the deal.

Why? Because the university finally agreed to bother negotiating, which they could’ve done way back in the beginning, and avoided this whole mess — just like we were always saying.

So, in YOUR face. Ha HA!

Truth is, 2010 is low on the priority list for most locals. If a local wins a CA that expires in 2010, that’s great; if not, it’s no big deal.

That’s the real truth of the matter.

No, cause the 2010 issue is the main issue. Both sides were guilty at one point of not negotiating seriously. 3903 only lowered its demands when it became clear that back-to-work legislation was a real possibility. I will agree that the university sat on its hands this last week.

President Shoukri was very clear that he would not under any circumstances sign a two year contract.

Tip-o-my-hat to you for trying.

Geez!

Very intelligent. You should be teaching at a University (hint…this is sarcasm!).

Have you not thought that maybe the administration is to blame for this mess. They are the ones that cancelled classes, they have the benefited from relying on the work of contract faculty. They don’t mind giving themselves raises, extended travel benefits and other job perks. Why are the least powerful (T.A.s & Contract staff) villified by the media and the bloggers. This is shameful. Lastly, the main point in the strike was job security for contract staff. The majority of which are highly educated and highly qualified. Unfortunately, they have little access to tenure track positions because the University system realizes that hiring on a contract basis is cheaper. The union at york tried to fight this battle, but I believe that it will emerge again, unless the government steps in and forces universities to hire a certain percentage of tenure track positions. For example, the university where I work, only 33% of classes can be taught be contract faculty. Of course, the admin wants that number to much higher!

Here’s the deal. So, you can’t live on 16k. i understand that, and it’s true. what you fail to understand is that getting that 16k, is actually sort of a gift. You are not first and foremost a worker, you are a student. You’re not really supposed to be getting paid in the first place. You are the one who is supposed to be paying. You are at York to get a degree, not a wage. The TA position is set up to give you some training in teaching and some extra money to help you pay tuition and rent. The rest of your living expenses though are your responsibility to provide, through the usual sources, i.e., student loans, your parents, or whatever savings you have. Is this not something that anyone but myself understands? Do you not realize that you should be grateful to be getting subsidized at all?
Furthermore, this TA business is obviously a transient situation. you will only be a TA so long as you are a student. then you will go out and perhaps be a prof, or you might do something else, but obviously then you will get a salary that reflects your value. Right now you are not really entitled to a salary- you are a student, and a student teacher at that. Tell me, following your logic, should actual teaching students, in teacher’s college, get paid when they do their practicums? They are working after all….
As for the contract workers, well let’s face it as well, it’s very hard to get any sort of post secondary teaching position, much less a tenured one, and the reality is that many PHD’s will never even teach at all at that level. So, these contract workers, should a) be happy to be working at all and b) maybe, if after 14 years of not getting tenure, face the music and think about another career, cos it looks like the tenure ain’t going to come.

lastly I say- fuck off if you think you are not doing any damage to the students, or worse, that you are doing this for the students. the reality is, this is just another bs marxist unionist move with not logic but destruction.

the only irony is that York, the most lefty place in canada, should allow itself to be ruined by lefty’s. or rather, one should say that this is the logical fruit of allowing so much marxist bs to flourish.

Frankly, I feel sorry for the students there .i.e. the undergrads… but if york suffers as a whole cos of this , that would be great. fuck York u… and its idiot TAs.

cheers! sorry for the foul language…you pussies.