Strike

Lately one of the things that I have been thinking about is the potential strike at the University of Winnipeg. I think back to a day when I was much younger as perhaps a junior high or high school student when I would have been so excited to have the teachers go on strike so that I would not have to go to school. Now every time I think about this potential strike I am anything but excited and at best I feel incredibly ripped off.

The professors in my opinion are essentially holding the students as hostages in a way. We are now to the teachers no more then a bargaining piece that they can use when they are negotiating. I can honestly say I have played out this situation in my head several times and there is no situation where the students get a good deal. So say the teachers go on strike we miss classes that we have already paid for. There are several potential situations,

1. The strike is short we only miss a little bit.

2. The strike is longer and they push classes and exams back to make up for it.

3. Long strike and either all classes are deemed incomplete or we get credit for the year based on not the entire thing.

Even in what seems like being good situations, we as the students will pay for it next year when our tuition is hiked up to pay the teachers new salaries.

Now a bigger problem here is the point of this teacher union. I am fairly sure the original point of unions was to make sure that workers didn't have to work unreasonable hours for little pay in unsafe conditions to put it simply. As far as I know professors are working very reasonable hours for I'm sure a pretty good salary and I don't think that they are being forced to live in poverty because the administration won't pay them enough. But I mean what do I know.

The main point is for a university that prides itself in being for the students as the You of W, this doesn't sound like a situation that is for the students. I wish everyone all the best in their bargaining however I will not be supporting the professors on the picket line.