Given all that has occurred over the last month or so, the only conclusion that I can draw is that the union exec are borderline incompetent.

http://www.hr.ubc.ca/collective-bargaining/bargaining-bulletins/bulletin-27/

…Unless that is what the union has been planning all along? Mediation is non binding, so I would assume not. I think UBC took them by surprise with this one.

Regardless, there will be no strikes till at least May. Since it makes very little sense to strike in May, that means September, which means another strike vote.

As a side note on communication, this was decided yesterday, and updated on the UBC site today. 2278 has yet to inform their members, despite sending out an email today about healthcare cheques.

1) WAGE NEGOTIATIONS
Payment demands from CUPE2278 are based on the collective agreement bargaining taking place for TAs at University of Toronto, on the basis that these are high-level academically comparable institutions, and therefore rates of pay should be comparable. Dr. Klonsky implies that CUPE2278 has misled TAs by not providing similar information about other universities, including BC institutions. First, I want to clarify that the 2278 locale is made up of volunteer teaching assistants who are elected by union members. His implication that union executives have acted in a way which intentionally misleads the TAs they represent is both offensive and ridiculous.

That being said, I feel that the approach presented by both sides (comparison to University of Toronto vs. comparison to other institutions) yields incomplete information and obscures facts needed by members to make informed voting decisions. I assert this as both approaches fail to consider economic parameters (eg: cost of living and tuition fees) for students at the respective institutions.

A true fair living wage assessment should be based on economic parameters which describe the cost of living for a graduate student TA at a given institution, specifically moderate standard of living (MSL) indices combined with tuition fees. The use of the MSL + tuition fees to determine cost of living has been validated by studies, and this formula is in use by provincial and federal student loan granting agencies and non-profit student aid relief programs.
Taking University of Toronto as an example (as done by CUPE2278), we find that cost of living for TAs at UofT is actually higher than TAs at UBC. Using parameters such as Human Resources Development Canada’s Moderate Standard of Living Index (ON: $21,940 vs. BC: $21,029) and graduate student tuition fees (UofT: $8,041 vs UBC: $5,387; 2011-2012 data), we find that cost of living is $29,981 vs. $26,416 for TAs at UBC and UofT respectively, a difference in excess of $3,000.

2) STRIKE MANDATE
I disagree with Dr. Kolinsky’s questioning of the strength of strike mandate from CUPE2278 members. It is important to acknowledge the legal definition of a strike mandate as put forward by BC Labour Law is 50 + 1%. However, I believe that this vote is in fact hampered by low voter turnout arising not from the typical voter apathy, but rather, from the observation that CUPE2278 failed in its obligation to adequately inform its members that a strike vote was about to take place. On this basis, not only does CUPE2278 not have a clear mandate to strike, they are essentially participating in taxation without representation.

I first heard about the strike when the course instructor I work for informed his undergraduate students that marking disruptions might occur as the strike vote had happened. Nearly every TA I’ve spoken with has relayed a similar story, stating that they did not receive e-mail communication from CUPE2278 about the strike vote. Some only voted because they happened to walk through the SUB on the day of the vote.

Despite being fully aware of their inability to circulate strike vote information to TAs via e-mail (acknowledged on their blog, Mar 23, 2012), they made no effort to take additional steps to adequately inform TAs of the vote. For example, e-mail addresses for graduate departmental secretaries are publicly available, are routinely used for mass distribution of information to graduate students, and could have been utilized for this purpose – something that the union must have been aware of, given that they are graduate students themselves. Furthermore, although the union posted strike vote notices around campus, they were hard to see (small black text on white paper stabled to bulletin boards covered with other materials). In addition, there are hundreds of graduate students who are based off campus (myself included), especially in health sciences related programs, who had neither the opportunity to see the postings or to be on campus the day of the strike vote.

3) NET-ZERO MANDATE
Dr. Kolinsky has asserted that the union has little room for wage negation given the current Net-Zero mandate, while the union has stated that “Under a “Cooperative Gains” mandate, UBC can, in fact, offer financial improvements to our collective agreement”. Unfortunately, it appears as though CUPE 2278 misunderstands the nature of the Cooperative Gains Mandate.

According to the BC Ministry of Finance, the definition of the Cooperative Gains Mandate is: “… provides public sector employers with the ability to negotiate modest wage increases through productivity gains or through savings within existing budgets, resulting in actual increases in compensation”. As an example from current events, on Mar 21 the BC Government Employee’s Union proposed that BC liquor stores be allowed to open on Sundays. This would increase projected liquor-sales revenue by $130-million, thereby allowing BCGEU to negotiate $130-million worth of wage increases.

If CUPE2278 is demanding increased wages under this mandate, one of two things must occur: (i) UBC TA’s would need to increase profit generation by the university, or (ii) UBC would need to cut wages to another group of employees in order to raise wages for TAs, thereby maintaining their Net-Zero mandate. I can’t think of a way in which the first option could be realistically achieved, while the second option is undesirable as it unfairly undermine the wage equity of other employee groups on campus.

4) MY PROPOSAL

I) In support of the principle of fair and equitable wages for union members, I propose that CUPE 2278 re-evaluate their wage demands using fair, transparent, and validated formulas with established precedent, perhaps by comparing TA salaries relative to TA cost of living across multiple institutions), and acknowledge that this may require them to adjust their wage demands upwards or downwards as necessary.

II) In support of right to strike by organized labour, I propose that a NEW strike vote be called after the union takes an active role to ensure that union members are 1) informed of the vote, 2) informed about the realistic limitations to wage negotiations given the provisions discussed above, and 3) provided with an opportunity to participate in the vote off campus. UBC has an established online voting system that could be used for this purpose.

III) In support of the principle of solidarity between union members, I ask that the union consider the right to a fair education by future graduate students (who will also be the TAs of the future). I propose that TAs working in 4th year university courses be excluded from any strike action. Timely release of final grades is essential for the ability of 4th year students to pursue graduate (or professional) program studies, as many of these programs have firm deadlines for submission of final grades. Any job action at this time of year (end of term) will likely translate into disruptions in final report marking and exam invigilation, delaying the release of marks for these students.

I hope that all sides continue to participate in polite and open discourse worthy of an academic institution.

Personal background and conflict of interest disclosure:

Matt is a strong supporter of organized labour in Canada, has been actively involved with the NDP party at both provincial and federal events since 1999, was formerly a paid employee of the Manitoba NDP for 5 years, and holds memberships with the BC Civil Liberties Association and Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. He has worked as a teaching assistant since 2009 and relies on this salary to pay his bills.

References:

http://ubcinsiders.ca/2012/04/dear-cupe-2278/
http://cupe2278.ca/blog/

http://www.fees.utoronto.ca/Assets/Student+Accounts+Digital+Assets/schedules/sgs+dom/11_12_sgs_domestic_fees_19.pdf – 2011-2012 Fee schedule for University of Toronto Graduate Students

http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/learning/canada_student_loan/policies/nat/index.shtml – Human Resources Development Canada Moderate Standard of Living index.

http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2009-2013/2012FIN0017-000351.htm – BC Ministry of Finance explanation of Cooperative Gains Mandate

m.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bcs-sunday-liquor-sales-proposal-shot-down/article2392563/?service=mobile – BCGEU use of Cooperative Gains in wage negotiation

Overall, after deducting TAships from tuition, UofT is still more expensive than UBC, which in turn is much more expensive than McGill. The fees in Quebec are poised to be raised sharply in the coming years.

The only way UofT TAs come out ahead of UBC TAs financially is if they TA more than 200hrs/year (Master’s for 2 years) or 300hrs/year (PhD for 5 years).

———

Some facts and details about tuition rates and TAships from UofT, UBC, and McGill.

UofT Tuition: $6885/year.
UBC Tution: $4264 for years 1,2 (or 3 for PhD), $1948 for years 3+ (4+ for Phd).
McGill Tuition: $2,168/year (special case for out-of-province 1st year Master’s: $5858.10)

UofT TAship: $41.23/hr (starting May 2012)
UBC TAship: $29.39/hr (PhD), $28.42/hr (Masters)
McGill TAship: $25.74/hr

For a 2-year Masters:
UofT tuition: $13,770
UBC tuition: $8,528
cost difference: $5,242
result: UBC is cheaper if you want to TA less than 409hrs in total. After 409hrs of total TAship, UofT becomes cheaper than UBC. (based on a pay difference of $12.81/hr)

For a 5-year PhD:
UofT tuition: $34,425
UBC tuition: $16,688
cost difference: $17,737
result: UBC is cheaper if you want to TA less than 1,498 hrs in total. After 1,498 hrs of total TAship, UofT becomes cheaper than UBC (based on a pay difference of $11.84/hr).
McGill tuition: $10,838.50
cost difference (from UBC): $5,849.50
result: McGill is cheaper if you want to TA less than 1,602 hrs in total. After 1,602 hrs, UBC becomes cheaper (based on a pay difference of $3.65/hr).

Note: Tuition increases have been kept out of these calculations. UofT tuition is allowed to rise either 4% or 5% per year, while BC is limited to 2% and Quebec is greatly increasing fees by over 10%:
http://www.provost.utoronto.ca/link/students/fees12_2219/flc.htm
http://www.aved.gov.bc.ca/tuition/welcome.htm
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/even-with-university-tuition-increase-quebecs-fees-still-lowest-in-country/article2379710/
http://www.westerngazette.ca/2012/03/28/quebec-tuition-increase-increase-is-justified/

————

Sources

UBC TAships:
http://www.cupe2278.ca/forms_and_docs/pay_rates.html

UBC Tuition:
http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/vancouver/index.cfm?tree=14,266,773,1450
http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/vancouver/index.cfm?tree=14,266,773,1451

UofT TAships:
http://cupe3902.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/CUPE3902-1WageRates2011-20131.pdf

UofT Tuition:
http://www.provost.utoronto.ca/link/students/fees12_2219/dom_sgs.htm

For someone who wants to do the math:

McGill TAships:
http://publications.mcgill.ca/reporter/2011/11/teaching-assistants-approve-new-three-year-contract/

McGill Tuition:
http://www.mcgill.ca/student-accounts/tuition-charges/fallwinter-term-tuition-and-fees/graduate-fees

Yet, reading comments here and elsewhere leads me to believe UBC TAs are misguided in a few facts.

1) A TAship is an award, not a right. It helps offset the costs of your education, it does not intend to fully find it.

2) Your main benefit and objective is getting a graduate degree. Taking time out to TA is a choice you make. You must balance the time to TA with the time to completion.

3) Not all professors get paid the same rate; most of them have a market adjustment. So, engineering profs earn more than history profs. Yet, all TAs get paid the same rate. Engineering TAs sometimes do internships, which is an excellent source of money, but they still earn less $/hr on the job than their current TA pay. TAs should be thankful they are well paid; clearly some are being over-paid considering market adjustments. Can a history TA earn more money doing an internship somewhere? If so, I would encourage that! Do not hold the UBC hostage as you should have other choices of employers.

4) consequently, the best way to get UBC to pay you more is to stop accepting TA positions. This is far more effective than a strike. The problem is the supply/demand matchup: you have to be sure there isn’t another person willing to work for less, or your efforts are undermined.

5) A TAship (or being a graduate student) is not a career. All this talk about guaranteed appointments for 6 years is nonsense. A good TA will get good (repeated) job offers for as long as he/she remains a grad student and as long as he/she does a good job. Nepotism and cronyism are not rampant at UBC. I consider them to be a fair employer in that regard.

6) TAs should be given cost-of-living adjusted to the local inflation rates. The UBC is being stubborn here. However, faculty do not even get cost of living increases automatically (let alone cost of housing, which makes it impossible to start a family), it has to be bargained.

7) Tuition is an entirely separate issue from TA pay. Not all students are TAs; some students choose to not TA. The 4year PhD award that was recently withdrawn did not require students to perform any TA duties; TAships were added on top of the award. The award was a nice idea, but it was unsustainable from the start as it as introduced without a funds source to sustain it.

8) When I left UofT, I was paying $6000/year in tuition fees, every year, no matter how far in to my Master’s or PhD, no matter whether I took any courses or not. How much do you pay at UBC after taking courses? I believe it is a reduced rate. Consider yourselves lucky.

This country is a democracy and all these processes that have been set in place in regards to labour relations and human resources management is a by-product of that democracy. One of the most important pillars of the democratic process is that every stakeholder should have the right to speak freely without fear or provocation from another. Many will disagree with you, but that gives you no right to be disrespectful instead of using your own arguments to respond no matter how passionately you believe in your side of the argument. As a Canadian and a graduate student at this University I hope Dr. Klonsky disregards some of these comments made and responds, repeats and reiterates his points as many times as he pleases. In reading his open letter, it is clear that while he does not agree with the process he does sincerely wish for the best interest of the TA’s and if he expresses that then he should not be scrutinized for it, as aggressive responses and actions by Unions and their members have historically worked against them in regards to the needed public opinion for which in this case is the entire UBC community.

——————-

As for the issue at hand:

While comparisons with other “similar” Canadian provinces is somewhat valid in terms of labour relations it shouldn’t be forgotten that labour negotiations fall under unique legislative requirements, unique to the type of the organization and of course at the provincial level. As stipulated by law both the employer (UBC) and the union are Required to bargain in good faith and can’t engage in a strike until a conciliation process has been undergone. The most important factor in collective agreement negotiations, however, is that you shouldn’t forget that the Union is not bargaining for itself but for its members (TA’s) and so the settlement must be approved by such constituents, therefore if the union is somehow not disseminating information to its members properly (if that is the case), then its members will lose confidence in the long run, and short run they may have the power to disapprove of the settlement reached.

There are several different relationship types between employers and Unions. Namely conflict, aggressive, accommodative, cooperative and collusive. In the case of UBC, the relationship falls under that of accommodating as both the Union and the employer (UBC) agree on the legitimacy of the other party and have somewhat respect for one another which attests to the limited trust that is present. This allows the negotiation to move away from “adversarial” bargaining which often leads to a lose-lose situation. Threatening with a strike will destroy such a relationship and so future negotiations will be muddled by even more adversarial bargaining which will not be a good outcome for either party.

Finally, it shouldn’t be forgotten that BOTH parties, as required by law, have to take reasonable efforts to reach an agreement. this is labour relations legislation in all jurisdictions. This ensures that UBC recognizes your Union and tries to settle an agreement without a strike or lockout. Threatening with a strike or lockout is going through motions of negotiation without any intent to reach an agreement.

These are some simple parameters that have to be considered before entering any discussions about jobs and job actions. These are known by your Union reps. and the employer but it is your job as members to consider all of these factors when voting for a strike. If your union does not provide you with the information you need then you are not aware of the process of negotiation and what the bottom line results will mean for TA’s. You should ask for information as they represent you.

Please consider some of these points (only a high level look at the negotiation process), ask information and when other community members express their opinions read them and open a discussion with respect using logic and understanding instead of being rude, impolite and aggressive as it does not help rally support from other community members that you gravely need to succeed.

If you told me that everyone else in Canada makes less than we do at UBC, I’d still vote yes. I’d just think that TAs are screwed all over the country.

Seriously, why would you think the union has some obligation to talk about lots of other universities than UofT? They talk about UofT, as I understand it, because that was part of their argument to UBC, not because UofT’s wages somehow gives a reason to vote yes in a strike vote. The letter’s first point is just a red herring.

I agree with you that there is no need to compare ourselves with UT, it is enough to say we have a bad deal. It is ridiculous that the university doesnt raise the salary according to inflation. You are in economic terms paying us less every year.