What about the teaching assistants, research assistants who do the essential jobs of teaching and research, work the instructors were allegedly hired to do? They can’t unionize or protest the dismal salaries, ask for raises, collect vacation or sick time, get health or retirement benefits. It’s all tied to their prospects for academic success.
Not such a surprise. How many liberal members of the house or senate have union shops?
They can't? They tried to when I was an RA. I remember convincing a friend to vote no when I talked him into doing the math and he realized we were making $19.38/hr.
Unfortunately, it looks like they were eventually successful. COGS
If you’re talking about graduate students (I am one), we do actually get health and retirement benefits, and some departments/universities have graduate unions. However, since we’re technically part-time employees, formal sick leave and vacation days are off the table, though in practice many of us have summers off teaching.