Date: Mon, 1 Jan 2001 05:12:35 -0800 (PST)
From: Amit Nayar
To: message@esmartstudent.com
Subject: 2001: A York Strike Odyssey


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yeah, so i just felt like voicing a few of my ideas and thoughts...
a parent of a student at york wrote "If you don't have the money for a
PHd then go work full time for a year and return to university when you
have the money to pay for it yourself. Nobody owes you a Phd. Schooling
at this point is not mandatory"
what bothers me is that i believe that you shouldn't have to pay so
much for a fricken education in the first place! in fact, i believe
that it should be free...this CAN be accomplished if taxes are spent
wisely. i mean, when we graduate, the more money we make the more
taxes we'll be paying...so in essence, it's in the country's best
interest (from a tax revenue standpoint) that we get the best paying
job possible. and i think we can all agree that (if we're not
athletes!!!) the only way to get the best job possible is with the best
education possible!!!
all social services are being cut (education, healthcare, welfare, etc)
but we're still paying a high rate of tax!! why!??!!??
i sincerely believe
that this strike is a lot more further reaching
than what's going on between 2100 workers and a corporation (i mean
York)...cupe is being pressured by all other unions in the nation not
to back down...to fight for all the other unions (future contracts will
be based on cupe 3903's settlement)...the same goes for york
university. tuition fees have been increasing every year for the past
few years...administration salaries are consistently being raised also,
cupe workers' salaries haven't...i have to pay $450-600 for parking
(which i don't) as well...for what? a disrupted education during which
both sides are imploring me to take their side?
the poverty line in toronto
is something like $17, 000...the average
cupe worker makes what? $9, 000 (excepting contract faculty)...that's
fair??? it doesn't even cover tuition! the majority of undergrads
(myself included) work during the school year and in the summer.
normally,
this is enough (with VERY careful planning...haha!) to pay
for our tuition...but no matter how careful you are as a TA/GA/RA,
etc., there is NO FUCKING WAY YOU CAN PAY TUITION!...some people are
commenting that no one is forcing them to be a TA or something...i
think that a lot of TA's want to teach after fully graduating...soooo
isn't this the only real option for them? it's like a concurrent form
of co-op isn't it?
why does the government (if it does step in) have to take york's side?
i mean, i know that york is a provincial institution but c'mon! ever
heard of deregulation? and what's goin on with the mediator? can't he
act like an arbitrator? i think that would've solved this fuckin thing
like...2 MONTHS AGO!
i sent a msg earlier, i don't know if it got posted but basically,
here's what it read:
i don't think that a class-action lawsuit is really that great an
idea...i mean, isn't the money to take this thing to court going to
come from our tuition fees and york's budget/revenue? the money could
be used for better things, like bursaries/scholarships...instead, i'm
suggesting that york cuts tuition fees for returning students next year
because of the fact that our summer will be cut short. a summer job is
the primary source of income for a student's tuition fees...
ok, u know what? i'm sick of this strike/the administration/and writing
this mother...i'm out everyone...take care, hope to see u back in
school soon....
just one last thing...since Dec. 18 (when york announced that there
will be a FORCED/supervised vote) has there been any negotiations or
has everyone been sitting on their asses waiting for the result??? if
the latter part of that question is true, i'm going to be one royally
pissed student...haha...aaaanyways, bye for real now.
love from ;oP
Amit Nayar...a 1st year poli-sci student (college grad/transfer student)

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talk to you later, see you soon!




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