Free labor in University

[Alex2050]

What is the name of your state?
Florida

Hi, I am a PhD student in an engineering field. My department in the university forces students to take two 2-credits(4) of supervised teaching but in reality we are forced to be a teacher assistant and grade homeworks, grade exams, and prepare course material that is directly used in the course. Not only we dont get paid, but we pay tuition for those credits. I wanted to know if this is legal? (1. Free labor, 2. Charged for Non useful courses)

 

[Zigner]

Really?

Yes. Yes.

 

[cbg]

Boy, have you got a lot to learn about academia, OP.

 

[Alex2050]

Boy, have you got a lot to learn about academia, OP.

Man that doesn't seem fair ...
Got 4 more years of this going on.

 

[cbg]

You're learning more than you may think you are.

 

[Alex2050]

Really?

Yes. Yes.

"Really?" was sarcasm?
I think it shouldn't be legal to make us pay to work and then use what we do to make money again by getting tuition from other students.

 

[Zigner]

"Really?" was sarcasm?
I think it shouldn't be legal to make us pay to work and then use what we do to make money again by getting tuition from other students.

Then don't do it.

 

[Alex2050]

Then don't do it.

It's not voluntary. They force you to do it, to get the degree (in engineering not even in a related field like teaching).
Thanks for your advice thou, I will have to suck it up then.

 

[Zigner]

It's not voluntary. They force you to do it, to get the degree (in engineering not even in a related field like teaching).
Thanks for your advice thou, I will have to suck it up then.

What size gun do they put to your head? (That was sarcasm.) You have free will. You can choose not to comply, but you would have to accept the consequences of said choice. It's down to a cost vs. benefit analysis.

You knew (or should have known) of this requirement when you started the program.

 

[cbg]

As I said, you clearly do not understand academia in the least, or the benefits you are receiving by this program.

 

[adjusterjack]

It's not voluntary. They force you to do it, to get the degree (in engineering not even in a related field like teaching).
Thanks for your advice thou, I will have to suck it up then.

When you graduate, and you go out to make a living in the real world, you will find a lot more that you have to suck up. Get used to it.

 

[cbg]

And there are a great many fields where you can find yourself in jobs where you will be grateful for all the teaching experience you can muster. Imagine yourself as the senior engineer in some position who has just been assigned a rookie assistant.

 

[not2cleverRed]

It has been my observation that those who have OP's attitude have a more difficult time completing a PhD program.

 

[Taxing Matters]

What is the name of your state?
Florida

Hi, I am a PhD student in an engineering field. My department in the university forces students to take two 2-credits(4) of supervised teaching but in reality we are forced to be a teacher assistant and grade homeworks, grade exams, and prepare course material that is directly used in the course. Not only we dont get paid, but we pay tuition for those credits. I wanted to know if this is legal? (1. Free labor, 2. Charged for Non useful courses)

Actually, I'm going to disagree just a bit with the other responses that have been given here. Traditionally graduate teaching assistants (which is what this sounds like to me) were not considered employees. Two consequences of that approach were that graduate teaching assistants could not collectively bargain over pay and working conditions (in other words join union, which is the most common way collective bargaining occurs) and they didn't have to be paid (though some colleges and universities do pay them). But interestingly enough, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) held in 2016 that graduate teaching assistants are employees and thus have the right to collectively bargain. Thus one could argue that if they are employees for the purpose of collective bargaining then they are also employees for the purpose of paying wages, in which case they would have to be paid at least minimum wage for their work. There is at least now one union specifically for graduate teaching assistants. My point is that there may indeed be an argument here that graduate teaching assistants should be paid, not that there is a clearly an obligation to pay them. The matter has not yet been tested in court, but I expect that will be coming. You can look into this issue and contact the union, too, if you are interested in really trying to push for pay for this work.

(There must be something weird in the stars today — this is the second post today I've discussed recent NLRB rulings, the other was on a different forum. Ordinarily the decisions of the NLRB don't come up much in discussion on consumer legal forums.)

 

[Alex2050]

Actually, I'm going to disagree just a bit with the other responses that have been given here. Traditionally graduate teaching assistants (which is what this sounds like to me) were not considered employees. Two consequences of that approach were that graduate teaching assistants could not collectively bargain over pay and working conditions (in other words join union, which is the most common way collective bargaining occurs) and they didn't have to be paid (though some colleges and universities do pay them). But interestingly enough, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) held in 2016 that graduate teaching assistants are employees and thus have the right to collectively bargain. Thus one could argue that if they are employees for the purpose of collective bargaining then they are also employees for the purpose of paying wages, in which case they would have to be paid at least minimum wage for their work. There is at least now one union specifically for graduate teaching assistants. My point is that there may indeed be an argument here that graduate teaching assistants should be paid, not that there is a clearly an obligation to pay them. The matter has not yet been tested in court, but I expect that will be coming. You can look into this issue and contact the union, too, if you are interested in really trying to push for pay for this work.

(There must be something weird in the stars today — this is the second post today I've discussed recent NLRB rulings, the other was on a different forum. Ordinarily the decisions of the NLRB don't come up much in discussion on consumer legal forums.)

Thank you for the advice dude. Helpful!