Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!watcgl!watsnew!mark
From: mark@watsnew.waterloo.edu (Mark Earnshaw)
Newsgroups: ont.general
Subject: Re: Community College Teachers on strike
Message-ID: <12314@watcgl.waterloo.edu>
Date: 16 Nov 89 13:39:37 GMT
References: <606@alias.UUCP> <12258@watcgl.waterloo.edu> <7470@cognos.UUCP>
Sender: daemon@watcgl.waterloo.edu
Reply-To: mark@watsnew.waterloo.edu (Mark Earnshaw)
Distribution: ont
Organization: U. of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 54

In article <7470@cognos.UUCP> rayt@cognos.UUCP (R.) writes:
>In article <12258@watcgl.waterloo.edu> Mark Earnshaw writes:
>
>>The strike began on October 18 so has been going on for 3.5 weeks now.  As far
>>as I know, the main issue is that of salaries. Currently, the maximum possible
>>salary for a college teacher is below that of every school board in the
>>province (secondary and elementary). Either we're overpaying the sec./ele.
>>teachers or underpaying the college teachers (take your pick).
>
> [...]
>
>>[M]y father is also losing about $1000 per week [on the picket line].
>
>I couldn't let this pass: the man is making _at least_ $50K a year and is
>on strike for more money! As I understand it, this is in the middle range
>for university professors: who are primarily charged with _research_. It
>is certainly outrageous for secondary and elementary teachers, and, as I
>understand it, community college teachers are not in the research business
>either; thus this salary is purely for their instructional talents. If
>pressed, I could probably name three or four professors worth this as
>instructors; I could name _no_ secondary teachers worth this. As a reference,
>I have taken graduate and undergraduate courses in at least 9 different
>departments (ranging from fine arts to engineering); involving 5 for courses
>at least at the third year level (spread over 5 Canadian universities).
>(I've been rectifying a deficient secondary education!)

First of all, my father has 20 years of seniority so is at the top of his pay
scale.  Secondly, college teachers usually have a significantly higher
teaching load than do university professors.  Not only do they have to teach
more courses per term (I'm not sure, but it might be 4 or 5? as compared to
1 or 2 (or even none) for a university prof), but they have no TA's so
also have to mark all of the assignments and exams themselves.  Conversely,
university professors often receive additional income from external research
contracts and consulting.  If you examined the *total* income for a college
teacher versus a university professor, you would probably find that the latter's
was much higher.

Because the emphasis is more on research than teaching at universities, not
all professors are suited for instructing.  I noted that you have not thought
much of some of your (university) teachers and I will certainly agree with you
here (although a number of mine have been quite good).  You do not indicate
that you have taken any college courses so how can you judge their teaching
aptitude?

One additional note which I don't think that I made clear in my earlier
posting.  There are some other issues in this strike besides salaries (e.g.
management trying to "steal" accumulated sick leave).  One thing is evident
though.  This is only the second time that the college teachers have been out
on strike which tends to indicate that they would not do so unless they really
did not feel that the Council of Regents contract offer was acceptable.

--
Mark Earnshaw, Systems Design Engineering      {uunet,utai}!watmath!watsnew!mark
University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada        mark@watsnew.waterloo.{edu,cdn}