Dear fellow students and co-workers, faculty and staff,
I have lost all faith in my employer: the administration of this university.
The Carleton administration has failed to be forthcoming and transparent about the issue I’m about to describe, which has resulted in putting many of your teaching assistants in a very precarious and financially dangerous situation.
The information I’m about to give you is pertinent for the entire university community.
This week I was informed by CUPE 4600, the union that represents all teaching assistants at Carleton University, that the administration may begin cutting my paycheck, and the paychecks of many other TAs, for the next several weeks.
Due to a mistake by Carleton’s human resources department, TAs have been receiving incorrect paycheque amounts for the last two years.
Having finally caught the error, the administration has now decided they need that money back before the end of the current semester.
According to a memo that the administration sent to the union, more than 1,000 TAs will be affected by wage cuts.
How much each TA will lose depends on various factors, such as his or her program and when he or she began as a TA. Over the next several weeks, some TAs will face total wage cuts of about $88, while others will face deductions of more than $1,000.
Why are teaching assistants, some of the lowest paid employees at Carleton, being forced to pay for the administration’s mistake?
TAs are a vital part of the Carleton campus, despite the low pay. Due to cutbacks to post-secondary education, TAs carry a large amount of the teaching capacity at Carleton through labs, discussion groups and marking.
Carleton works because we do. In addition to our role as workers, we are also students, paying tuition and administrative fees, and attending classes.
The average TA at Carleton makes approximately $8,900 per year, according to CUPE 4600, which is simply insufficient to cover my monthly expenses.
If the university cuts my paycheck, deducting money that I am presently earning through my labour as a TA, I will be forced to make significant changes in my personal finances.
Combining this with student debt that I already carry means I’ll have to seriously alter my budget for things like food and rent, both of which are extremely expensive in Ottawa.
Of course, it’s entirely reasonable for the administration to correct their error going forward. But to retroactively punish TAs for an administrative error is completely unfair.
I, like the majority of my TA colleagues, love the work I do here at Carleton. Contributing to the production of knowledge in post-secondary education is an extremely enriching experience.
But I am also a worker — a worker who demands a respectful and fair work environment so that I can provide an equally respectful environment for my students.
If the administration wants us to pay for its mistakes, they’d better start thinking about what Carleton will look like without TAs.
Instead of being in our classrooms teaching the next generation of Canadians, we’ll be joining the ever-growing number of Canadians dependent on food banks.
I am writing this opinion piece to continue the work that my union, CUPE 4600, has begun — work that our university administration has failed to do.
As such, I am appealing for your support and solidarity to stand by CUPE 4600 in the months to come.
Carleton’s administration is responsible for this mistake, and that’s who should pay for it.
