The latest disruption at the University of North Carolina is a “strike” by grad students who work as teaching assistants (TAs). They’re refusing to turn in grades for students unless the university meets a set of demands they have issued. What is the UNC administration, staffed with soft, caring “progressives” going to do? In today’s Martin Center article, Jay Schalin looks at this dispute.
What do the TAs want?
First and foremost, they demand permanent removal of the “Silent Sam” statue, hauled down back in August. There has been talk of putting the statue back up somewhere on campus and the TAs refuse to do their jobs unless they get a pledge from UNC not to do that. Symbols drive these people, but they also have a bunch of pecuniary demands, including increased pay, dental insurance, and reduced parking fees for themselves.
Will the administration meet and negotiate with these activists, who are, Schalin argues, engaging in a kind of blackmail? Or will it tell them to either do what they’re under contract to do or face serious consequences? Schalin would like to see UNC give them an ultimatum: “Threaten to expel those participating in this so-called strike. Some of the activists may return to their senses for fear of destroying their academic careers. For those who fail to produce the grades in a timely fashion, the school should actually expel them and take back all of their grants, fellowships, and stipends that the school controls.”
He correctly observes that if the administration caves in, even partially, it will experience this kind of action by its “woke” faculty and staff over and over.
I’m reminded of the air-traffic controller strike called in 1981. President Reagan gave the workers a choice — back to work or be fired. Those who didn’t were fired and the union was eliminated. There were no more public union strikes during Reagan’s presidency. UNC officials should keep that bit of history in mind.