> Has anyone (Tom L., Dennis?) come across any *credible* arguments against
> grad student unionizing?
(Snicker). (Chortle). (guffaw). Oh, I can't help it... HAW HAW HAW HAW...
Sorry. Had to get that out of my system.
Let's put it this way: I'm $62,000 in debt and taking on a raft of Stafford loans and being paid one-quarter (on an hour-per-hour basis) of what the average faculty member gets in terms of salary and benefits in order to teach 51 undergrads about things literary and then grade fifty sets of essays, papers, etc. The syllabus and grading are my responsibility and mine alone. That's just my day job. Then I get to study and research and bust my ass writing a dissertation. That's my other job. Many, many grads have families and therefore work additional hours on weekends. Jobs, jobs, jobs... America is just booming with jobs these days, isn't it?
But if it's for a panel... geez, I dunno. Hit 'em with the fiscal austerity/managerial thing, "grads are learning the skills for a lifetime". You know, how to pick rags, live without health insurance, binge on debt, etc. Do the good soldier Schweik thing: intone the neoliberal arguments with such blissful good will shining from one's face (throw in "kanban optimization" and "academic customer service" for good measure), so that everyone with half a brain gets it.
-- Dennis