Grad-Student Walkout: First Step to Getting a Union? (Columbia U)

[struggle4progress]

When David Wolach arrived at Columbia University in 1999 to pursue a PhD in philosophy, he didn't anticipate any conflict other than a few departmental squabbles.

"I entered Columbia with the expectation that I would bury my head in my studies," says Mr. Wolach. "I did not expect to be involved in anything political."

But he quickly became dismayed by the conditions of graduate student living. In addition to studying, Wolach worked as a teaching assistant for 20 to 25 hours a week, grading papers and holding office hours. For one semester's efforts, he earned $990. <snip>

Today, Wolach is an organizer for Graduate Student Employees United, the fledgling union at Columbia now pressing the administration for official recognition. To force the administration's hand, the students are considering a strike in coming weeks.

http://www.civilrights.org/issues/education/details.cfm?id=29582

[bemildred]

1. After the grad students, how about medical residents?

There are still a lot of slaves that need freeing.
And it's amazing how many are owned by our bastions
of liberalism, the institutions of higher education.

[salin]

2. Wow.

Ten years ago, I earned quite a bit more than $1,000 for a term's work as a research assistant and as a teaching assistant. Was at a school as (or more) prestigious than Columbia - so the argument that the value of the degree is worth the lack of pay doesn't fly. I earned a bit more than that - but still living in poverty (not much more than 1,000 a month in one of the highest living cost areas in the country). Columbia deserves the actions that appear to be on the horizon. That rate of wage is ridiculous. 20 to 25 hours a week (I did more than that for a "20 hour week") - for 13 or more weeks (depending if on a quarter or semester system) ... and earning 990? that is under 4.00 an hour for a "quarter" system (shorter terms). Yikes - and the cost of living in NYC can be met on that rate?

[alcibiades_mystery]

7. I made $15,000 plus tuition waiver

and our attempt to unionize forced the administration to concede on some health benefits. They also squashed our union like a bug, but there ya go. $1000 in NYC? Insane.

[Barkley]

3. Will Teach for Food: $990 per semester!

I thought the Ivy-League Colleges were so liberal...
Shouldn't Columbia's administration should be on the side of the workers and the union.

I wonder if some of Mr. Wolach's tuition is paid through his teaching. Still $990 is an insult.

[struggle4progress]

4. About twenty years ago, I got tuition and fees paid and ...

... an additional $2000/semester (approximately) as a part-time teaching assistant; it was a fairly standard deal for grad students at the school I attended. That was (barely) enough money to pay essential bills, buy a few extra scholarly books from time to time, and pay airfare home for the winter holidays.

[DenaliDemocrat]

5. Been there

as a grad student. Work 16 hour days for pennies....it's indentured servitude.

[MountainLaurel]

6. Best of luck to them

I'm at a community college, so we have no grad students teaching, but I'd say that about 75 percent of our classes are taught by adjuncts, who get a similarly raw deal.

So to these union developers at Columbia:

:yourock:

[Merope215]

8. I have mixed feelings about this

Normally I'm as pro-union as anyone, but our grad students are thinking about striking too. I'm not sure why I find this annoying in some ways, but I do. It might be that I pay well over $40,000 a year for my undergrad education, the TAs aren't very good at what they do, they go to grad school for free plus $17,000 (or more) a year, and they keep complaining about their working conditions. It's never really been made clear to me what those conditions are that they're so bad they need to protest them all the time.

The administration of my school is notoriously unresponsive to labor complaints. We had a big strike at the beginning of last year that included all the dining hall workers and janitorial staff, and I supported that one completely. But although I really don't like to side with the administration in general, it seems to me like the grad students don't have much cause to complain. The Columbia article said they also get about $18,000 a year in stipends. I know that's not a living wage, especially in New York, but for a full-time student, it doesn't seem so bad to me.

I'd love to be proven wrong, though, because I feel bad about feeling this way.

:hide:

[malachibk]

9. As a Grad student at Columbia...

the folks trying to organize the Union aren't as organized as they need to be.

First, I should say that the problem is that each department lives by it's own rules. I straddle 2 departments -- one that is flush with money and its few grad students get full tuition/fees and roughly 21,000 a year in stipend cash. Can't live on that in NYC, but it's acceptable. They are required to TA one semester a year as part of their training and aren't paid extra for that. But if they pull in outside grants, their $$ increases. These students are, for the most part, against the union since their mentors are also their lab directors and rather than becoming "employees" with relations guided by union rules, they are more than happy to put in extra time to further their careers, increase publications etc. They have the $$, so why deal with dues and rules?

The other department I work with has FAR less money and there are actually students going for their PhD who PAY IN FULL (why students would choose to do this is beyond me). So they get a crummy RA position working 20 hours a week and maybe pull in 18,000 a year. Sometimes courses are covered, sometimes not. These students are in desparate need of a union, but since they are on the medical campus, they receive FAR too little attention from Union organizers who focus on grad students on the Morningside campus. Those in need of a union are by and large the least informed.

This union saga has been unrolling for years now and I am very disappointed that this year, instead of a prolonged, 3 month long strike as we were initially promised, we are only conducting an "intense" strike for 1 week this April. And, of course, only undergrad classes are being targeted (the poorer students I described above TA only for Graduate classes). And CU is SO CLEARLY not going to cave in after a week of MIA grad students.

Interestingly, CU is also under the microscope for alleged anti-semitism (bullshit) and a move by undergrads to bring back ROTC to campus (mindboggling). I think Bollinger (the Pres) cares more about these issues than about any week-long strike.

I love CU -- I went there for undergrad and came back for my PhD. But am totally confused by this "liberal" institution's actions of late.