Learn About Your Rights as a TA: Intro to TA Union

Eligibility: The TA Institute is open to undergraduate and graduate TAs, and all graduate students who are interested in teaching. This session is not open staff, or faculty.

Being a TA is hard work. We’re in between our students and our instructors. Sometimes this is a comfortable place to be; sometimes it’s uncomfortable. Fortunately, our Collective Agreement (work contract) provides us with ample tools to make our work environment safe and enjoyable. Welcome to Your Union is an introductory session to all things TA union. In this session, we will cover some important topics to help make your life as a TA easier. These topics include:

• What even IS a union?
• What’s a collective agreement and how is it made?
• Building a good TA-Instructor working-relationship
• Key elements of your contract (hours of work, vacation, etc.)

We’ll give you a breakdown of the most important parts of your contract—the ones you’ll most likely engage with—and talk about strategies for handling tough scenarios with students and faculty. Already have questions? Great! Bring them with you. There will be ample time for questions and discussions.

Facilitator:

•  Reza Karimi, Membership Mobilizer, CUPE 2278, PhD Student in Mechanical Engineering

Themes:

If you wish to complete this workshop as part of either of the themes below to receive a Letter of Completion, you must complete a theme completion form by January 22nd, 2025 at 11:59 PM (only complete this form once—make sure to indicate all themes and all sessions that you have completed).

This session falls into the following theme:

• Fundamentals of TAship

TA Institute

This year, workshops in the TA institute are organized into 3 themes. If you complete all the workshops in a theme, and submit a theme completion form, you are eligible for a Letter of Completion that you can include in your Teaching Portfolio and CV. The Letter of Completion will include a brief description of the theme(s) that you completed, and how the work you did in the theme(s) support your development as a teacher.