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Question 1: List the facts (if any) the author uses in the article.!

1. - 1$19,307 poverty line for a single adult living in Toronto. After 12 months of negotiation the
university hasnt budged its still oering $15,000.

2. Graduate students currently make $42.05 an hour but are limited to 205 hours a year. U of

T has oered to pay $43.97 an hour but will cap the number of hours at 180 starting

September 2017. So instead of making $8,965.06 graduate students will actually make
$8,231.18 which is $733.88 less.

Question 2: List the conclusions the author comes to.!


1. focusing on the increase in the hourly wage they can distract from the real issue at
hand: that the majority of graduate students will make the same amount of money and
some actually face a pay cut.!

2.

U of T is offering a $733.88 pay cut.!

Question 3: List the evidence (if any) the author supplies to substantiate their claims.!

$19,307 poverty line


offered to pay $43.97
undergraduates in Canada
87 per cent in between 2000 and 2014

Question 4: Write out in a few sentences the argument that the author makes. Put it in your own
words. This is not asking you to summarize the argument but to think very carefully about the
logical steps involved in the argument. With every sentence you write force yourself to get
more specific!
1. The author is arguing for the point that the TAs nee to be paid more for the following
reasons listed below: !

The TAs Work more than tenured profs.!


That their total compensation of 15000$ is below the Low-Income Cut-Off
(LICO) for a single person in the city of Toronto in 2011 and hasn't gone up
since 2008 to not even match the rise in cost of living which have gone up by
7.6%(based on the link provided) !
2. The author argues that the increase in the wage rate from $42.05 to $43.97 would be

ineffective and goes ahead to assert that it is as good as a $733.88 pay cut.!

Question 5: Use general equilibrium theory and/or game theory tools from class. Draw a graph
that you can use to analyze the authors argument. Your answers to question 4 should help you
with this step. Remember we want you to use class material. Your diagram should look like
something we have done in class. The exact diagram will depend on the class material you are
choosing to focus on!

- I have used the notes that the prof gave in class for this and worked on my essay
using the same:!
Question 6: List the implicit or explicit assumptions the author is making.!
1. Explicite Assumptions:!

Papers are not magically going to take less time to mark and class times will not
suddenly run 45 minutes instead of an hour. If anything, Teaching Assistants will
likely have more work to do two years from now, as classes and tutorials get
bigger every year. - couldn't more teaching assistants be hired to maintain the
same ration if the class size increase after two years?!

TAs actually work a lot more than 210 hours a year and U of T knows this.-no
proof given!

U of T is losing out on top talent every year to similarly-ranked schools in the


United States that offer $5,000 or even $10,000 more a year. U of T regularly
boasts about being the top school in the country, but it wont stay that way if the
best graduate students choose not to come herIme.- Assuming that the grad
student at U of T are sub-par to their contemporaries in other Top American
universities. I highly disagree as i believe that my TA/Prof is doing a good job and
is at par with most top ivy league universities. I got your back, Hommie! lol. !
2. Implicite Assumptions:!

That graduate student need to be treated as member of the job market therefore
implying that they come under the employed category to claim the same benefits
in terms of pay. -This might not be true graduate students at paid stipend to do
research. This usually has an intrinsic value to the individual and therefore
cannot be compared to its monetary compensation. What I'm trying to say is that

!
!

you cant have best of both worlds, get a Phd and be paid full time for getting it.!

Question 7: Are these assumptions valid in the context they are talking about?!
!

-Answered above in italics.!

Question 8: What important things has the author left out of the analysis?!

- The impact of the strike on students. This is just like in a case of divorce, the kids
usually end up suffering the most.!
Question 9: Are there any steps in the authors argument that are incorrect? Can you find
evidence that contradicts the authors claims?!
1. Graduate students currently make $42.05 an hour but are limited to 205 hours a
year. U of T has offered to pay $43.97 an hour but will cap the number of hours at
180 starting September 2017. So instead of making $8,965.06 graduate students will
actually make $8,231.18 which is $733.88 less.- According to this statement:!
A. $42.05/hr is the current rate for a cap of 205 hrs.!
B. $43.97/hr is the proposed increase for a cap of 205hrs until Sep 2017.!
C. $43.97/hr is the proposed increase for a cap of 180hrs post Sep 2017.!

Therefore Total pay in sub point A = $42.05*205=8620.25$!


Therefore Total pay in sub point B = $43.97*205=9013.85$!
Therefore Total pay in sub point C = $43.97*180=7914.6$!
B-A = 393.6$. Therefore in the two year period, the TAs are better off by
393.6$ compared to the previous pay.!

C-A = -705.65$< -733.88$. Even though the TAs will be worse off, i don't
understand how the author came to that number of 733.88$. He should

show the proof. !

Question 10: What do you think is the best counter argument to the authors claims?!

- According to the research this i have done, It appears to that it is not the university as
a whole that decides an individual Phd candidates allows, but the specific department
under which the individual is instated. Therefore there is a huge variance in the
compensation provided based on that. The TAs should be striking just against
departments who offer poor funding but the not university as a whole!
Question 11: Given your answers to the questions above do you agree with the authors
argument? Explain why or why not.!

- The author make a fair points in bring up the fact thats TAs are paid less for doing
more work and that they are not allowed job opportunities etc. But dose not fully delve

into the matter to go ahead and understand that the compensation is provided based
on the individuals department and some can be paid as high as $49000+(based on a
reply by James on the which is the equivalent to about a $40 000 a year
job(maybe a bit more when you count EI and CPP deductions we aren't paying) PLUS
$9000 in tuition). There i dont agree with the authors arguments.

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