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Inevitable-Place9950 t1_j9mrtad wrote

Reply to comment by [deleted] in Striking Temple University graduate students overwhelming vote down proposed contract by diatriose

$30k is not below the poverty line unless it’s a single earner family of 4.

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[deleted] t1_j9mv2wm wrote

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Glazed_donut29 t1_j9mwbs5 wrote

I absolutely do not qualify for public assistance.

Edit: I know because I was kicked off public assistance when I got my TA position because my hourly and monthly income is far too high to qualify.

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[deleted] t1_j9n1qsh wrote

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Glazed_donut29 t1_j9n2b88 wrote

You were the one who even associated TA pay with the poverty line or public benefits. Our compensation is no where near that. That’s all I’m saying. I never claimed we make a ton of money or that striking TAs don’t have legit claims to higher pay. But the hysterics surrounding our pay is actually crazy considering our very high hourly rate.

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[deleted] t1_j9n2pm8 wrote

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Glazed_donut29 t1_j9n38bw wrote

I never said I make “just enough” to not qualify. In fact, I said my income was “far too high.” My case worker told me I didn’t qualify by a large amount because my hourly pay is so high.

Why do you insist on misconstruing my words? Why can’t you fathom someone living perfectly fine on $31/hour? It’s not that ridiculous…

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[deleted] t1_j9nf6r8 wrote

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Glazed_donut29 t1_j9okag1 wrote

Lol do you know how many people live on less than 30k in this city? I’ve lived in Philly for years and have never made more than 30k. It’s completely possible to live on 30k in Philly. You clearly have never been on benefits if you think 30k/year is “just enough” to not qualify for benefits. You have literally no idea what you’re talking about.

Tell me you’re upper middle class without telling me you’re upper middle class lol

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[deleted] t1_j9ol11s wrote

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Glazed_donut29 t1_j9olqb9 wrote

I’m just saying your hysterics about our pay is misguided. I mean it’s pretty weird to keep insisting I am unable to survive on my pay when I am doing just fine. Like you tell me it’s impossible, while I sit here in my apartment with my pets and fully stocked fridge with groceries I paid full price for lol

I don’t live in a shitty neighborhood. In fact, I live in my favorite neighborhood in the city.

Just because you couldn’t fathom living on 30k doesn’t mean there aren’t more frugal and minimal people doing just fine. Stop insisting I’m literally not surviving lol stop the dramatics dude

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[deleted] t1_j9om25a wrote

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[deleted] t1_j9omi9n wrote

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Inevitable-Place9950 t1_j9myg2u wrote

No, it’s that you’re not accurately describing their situation. Saying they’re below the poverty line suggests they might actually qualify for public benefits or that the poverty levels are much more generously calculated than they are.

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Inevitable-Place9950 t1_j9mztb1 wrote

$20k for even 9 months of half-time work is the equivalent of a $53k full-time job- and if they were a full-time university employee, they’d pay FICA on their earnings and income tax on the value of the waived tuition. I don’t blame them for seeking more given the costs of living and better compensation at competing schools, but let’s not conflate them as a whole with people who are actually living below poverty level.

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[deleted] t1_j9n1yki wrote

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Inevitable-Place9950 t1_j9nc666 wrote

They’re demanding to be treated more like employees. The reality of working half-time is that it pays less than full-time and also that it makes it easier to take coursework and study. It also rarely comes with benefits, let alone benefits of an equivalent value to tax-free tuition. And if students were leaving for full-time work, Temple would have more incentive to pay better; but it’s not that likely that they’ll choose full-time work and tens of thousands in bills and loans over half-time work, free tuition, and a smattering of loans.

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[deleted] t1_j9neoh7 wrote

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Inevitable-Place9950 t1_j9o5qn4 wrote

Their pay rate is well over the US median income. What they’re requesting is a pay rate equivalent to an $87,000 full-time salary. They’re not demanding full-time hours; they want half-time work and full-time credit loads. Again- I don’t blame them for demanding Temple keep up with competitors but there is a huge difference between those who are paid poverty wages and those who choose to work for the school half-time so they can primarily be students. And that distinction easily saves them $12k in taxes each year, so they probably don’t want to lose it.

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[deleted] t1_j9oib79 wrote

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Inevitable-Place9950 t1_j9okibf wrote

Of course they’re full-time students. And I’d look at adjunct pay before you assume it would cost more than $20k to hire TAs. If the math is wrong, show me where.

The minimum stipend (STEM students tend to earn more) is $19.5k for 9 months of half-time work would be $39k full-time. That would be $4,333 a month or $52k if they worked full-time all year. They don’t pay FICA on assistantships, a 7.65% tax break, or income tax on waived tuition.

They’re requesting a $32,800 minimum for half-time work for 9 months. $65,600 at full-time is $7,289 a month or $87,466 for 12 months- with the same tax break.

That pay rate is in line with and in some cases higher than the starting salary of an assistant professor who already earned their PhD and it’s well above a poverty rate. While they are making a great case that they deserve more, it’s disrespectful to compare them to people who are living in poverty unless they’re actually supporting a family of 3 or 4 on that stipend alone.

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[deleted] t1_j9olonl wrote

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Inevitable-Place9950 t1_j9p4pc8 wrote

Yes. It’s disrespectful to all the people who are working full-time at schools for lower pay rates and no tuition benefits and to people working in essential jobs barely above minimum wage to treat their plights as comparable to students getting free tuition in addition to a stipend of at least $25 an hour for part-time work. They’ve opted to work part-time to be full-time students, like thousands of undergrads do who do not get paid a higher rate for that decision. They also have the option to find full-time work and go to school part-time, or work part-time elsewhere while studying full-time. The financial outlook of those options aren’t great either for most fields.

Two things can be true: the students are justified in asking for better compensation and they’re in a much better position than people who are living in or near poverty.

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Glazed_donut29 t1_j9n0oun wrote

This is what I keep trying to tell people. I support the striking TAs who they feel they are unjustly compensated. The COL has increased significantly and other schools do provide better wages. I personally am not at all unsatisfied with my earnings or working conditions so I’m not striking. I just dislike the misrepresentation that we are below poverty level.

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