Listen up, colleges: The widgets are talking back
Why resort to 19th century labour tactics in a 21st century labour environment?
We’re entering the fifth week of the college teachers’ strike. That’s a long time. The students have been out of school longer than they were in. Even if they’re writing exams right up until Santa shows up on Christmas Eve, there is still going to be a loss of instruction hours this semester, if they can salvage the semester at all.
I was talking to my niece who is caught up in the strike. She’s far away, living off campus and a few years older than the typical college student, but she’s in the first year of a program that she believes will lead to a job when she graduates. When I said goodbye to her the last time I saw her, it was with the expectation it would probably be months and months before I saw her again. Surprise! She showed up the other day in town for a sad event, but stopped by for a quick visit where she was happy to fill me in when I asked her what’s going on with this strike, anyway.
Turns out nothing. I asked about keeping up with the work and how she was managing. It seems promises were made about online materials that didn’t materialize. Everything has stopped. Some kids have gone home, so group learning is tough and events have been cancelled. She didn’t want to have to get a job but found one anyway, worried that living off campus for an extended semester will increase costs. I asked what the students who stayed in residence are doing; she said, “Drinking.” Nothing else to do, no expectations, no demands; we’re all in this together. Cheers!
The students don’t care about the dispute and they don’t have to. They just want an education. This isn’t their problem. They have enough problems without a strike, again, threatening their educational futures. And frankly, it’s embarrassing that as “adults,” and after decades of organized labour disputes behind us, and millions of dollars spent on organizational dynamics and labour research we still don’t have a process in place to negotiate contracts every few years without one side having to threaten to shut down the whole deal with either a strike or a lockout. Whose turn is it to flip the game board this time?
There are those who say the students should care, it’s an important part of life. And some of them probably hold strong union feelings from family members, and feel they’re at the front lines of labour history.
We need strong unions to protect us from labour exploitation, but our processes are sadly lacking and no one wants to talk about how to make it better.
So, I’m not going to talk about the way that student loan programs have created a mentality among educators who consider students walking wallets, ready to be opened and spilled in payment for books, supplies and materials. No need to reduce education costs or be mindful of technological waste, just lower the student loan eligibility and up the amounts. Everyone’s happy! Until graduation, and the bill comes due. Forking out $250 for a textbook for one course or money for fancy tech might not have been such a good idea, especially after you discovered you could have gotten the book online for free and the tech has no purpose outside the classroom.
I’m not going to talk about the way that academic leaders have been absolutely shameless in promoting their own economic selfinterest for years, padding their paycheques with perks and watching their salaries balloon into the stratosphere while student debt cripples the aspiring careers and family dreams of new graduates, many unable to get jobs in the fields they paid so much to know about. We may not all have PhDs but we’re not stupid. We see what you’re doing.
Instead, I’m going to ask why we are still resorting to 19th century labour tactics when we’re dealing with a 21st century labour environment?
This strike is going to end. No college will lose business because of it; the post-secondary education system is bursting with endless customers ready to pay cash.
Get back to the table and into the classroom while you resolve your power issues about curriculum. If you can’t come to an agreement, let someone else do it for you. It’s time to review the way we negotiate and settle labour contracts to recognize that “people are product” in the process and bring in third-party binding arbitration for teachers, doctors, nurses, and police. The widgets are talking back.
Margaret Shkimba is a writer who lives in Hamilton. She can be reached at menrvasofia@gmail.com or you can “Friend” her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter (@menrvasofia)