6 ms·

Universities, unlike building firms, have actual assets and are unlikely to claim bankruptcy. That means you could easily take the above issues to small claims

Universities, unlike building firms, have actual assets and are unlikely to claim bankruptcy. That means you could easily take the above issues to small claims court as long as you had them in writing (and remember, even a agreement to pay you via email usually suffices - no formal documents or signatures required)

ebiester 3y ago
...and then your career in academia is over, regardless of the official rules of retribution. Which, based on all of the bad experiences, might be a blessing in disguise for adjuncts (UK or otherwise!)
- nonrandomstring 3y ago
  No, it's not like that. I write excoriating pieces in the Times Higher, completely damning the UK university system as "unfit for teaching and leaning" [0], and they still call me and ask "can you just cover this class?". Amusing as that desperation is, in a way it's more terrifying how the machinery of blind capitalism works. The system isn't capable of sentiment like that. They don't care what I say. It's just business. They're not there keeping a score of 'friends' and 'enemies'. Universities run on people like me who are of the "academic mindset", who can and will do things like teaching because we love it as a vocation even though the salary is a quarter or fifth of what is on offer privately. In the end, the only solution is to say no, even when you'd really like to do it. It's a weird modern tragedy. [0] https://cybershow.uk/blog/posts/cyber-education/ https://cybershow.uk/blog/posts/cyber-education/
  - robertlagrant 3y ago
    > Universities run on people like me who are of the "academic mindset", who can and will do things like teaching because we love it as a vocation even though the salary is a quarter or fifth of what is on offer privately. Everything runs like this. Jobs people want will pay less than jobs people don't want.
    - alan-hn 3y ago
      Does that mean everyone wants to be a waiter and nobody wants to be a CEO?
      - tristor 3y ago
        > Does that mean everyone wants to be a waiter and nobody wants to be a CEO? Unironically, yes. Most people don't have enough exposure to actually understand what the job of a CEO is. I have had that exposure, and I don't ever want to be the CEO of any sizeable company. Once you become CEO, work/life balance utterly ceases to exist, because you are the person imbued as the corporation, meaning you are literally always working, always on call, always stuck with the most difficult or intractable decisions where maybe all the options are wrong, and no matter your choice everyone will hate you. It's a terrible job that people only do because it pays so well. I am not the CEO but I'm much higher up the food chain today than I was when I started. I often reminisce fondly about my time working phone tech support, because I could work my queue and walk out without having to give any thought to anything that occurred that day. That's not the reality of being in any sort of management role, and the higher up you go the less that matches reality.
        yen223 3y ago
        I have yet to see a CEO choose to go back down the food chain, even though that is something they have the power to do.
        ghaff 3y ago
        CEOs of large companies generally don't go back down the food chain because they don't need to. They retire/semi-retire (e.g. get a board seat or some other advisor type of position) instead.
        HeatrayEnjoyer 3y ago
        The strongest factor in personal employment decisions is what we "need to". Of course a CEO doesn't need to continue pulling their weight when they have piles of cash to retire on.
nonrandomstring 3y ago
You're not wrong, but my goodness... the effort, and the waiting. It's so sapping to have to work for your money like a regular person, and then work again and again just to get what's rightfully due to you.
- iinnPP 3y ago
  This is a very important point that a lot of folks miss. You van spend hundreds or even thousands of hours getting what is obviously due and often that is all lost. I have let many people go who I would persue in a world with my hours being paid(at a lawyers rate) in the event of a victory in the courtroom. Ahhh, should land...
asadotzler 3y ago
They have lawyers and you don't so expect this to be dragged out and expensive for you and your rewards, if successful, to not even cover the initial losses fully, much less the time and money of the suit. The big companies will always win. Better off suing the small construction company or building firm, as you're far more likely to be on even(er) ground with them.

ebiester 3y ago

...and then your career in academia is over, regardless of the official rules of retribution. Which, based on all of the bad experiences, might be a blessing in disguise for adjuncts (UK or otherwise!)

nonrandomstring 3y ago
No, it's not like that. I write excoriating pieces in the Times Higher, completely damning the UK university system as "unfit for teaching and leaning" [0], and they still call me and ask "can you just cover this class?". Amusing as that desperation is, in a way it's more terrifying how the machinery of blind capitalism works. The system isn't capable of sentiment like that. They don't care what I say. It's just business. They're not there keeping a score of 'friends' and 'enemies'. Universities run on people like me who are of the "academic mindset", who can and will do things like teaching because we love it as a vocation even though the salary is a quarter or fifth of what is on offer privately. In the end, the only solution is to say no, even when you'd really like to do it. It's a weird modern tragedy. [0] https://cybershow.uk/blog/posts/cyber-education/ https://cybershow.uk/blog/posts/cyber-education/
- robertlagrant 3y ago
  > Universities run on people like me who are of the "academic mindset", who can and will do things like teaching because we love it as a vocation even though the salary is a quarter or fifth of what is on offer privately. Everything runs like this. Jobs people want will pay less than jobs people don't want.
  - alan-hn 3y ago
    Does that mean everyone wants to be a waiter and nobody wants to be a CEO?
    - tristor 3y ago
      > Does that mean everyone wants to be a waiter and nobody wants to be a CEO? Unironically, yes. Most people don't have enough exposure to actually understand what the job of a CEO is. I have had that exposure, and I don't ever want to be the CEO of any sizeable company. Once you become CEO, work/life balance utterly ceases to exist, because you are the person imbued as the corporation, meaning you are literally always working, always on call, always stuck with the most difficult or intractable decisions where maybe all the options are wrong, and no matter your choice everyone will hate you. It's a terrible job that people only do because it pays so well. I am not the CEO but I'm much higher up the food chain today than I was when I started. I often reminisce fondly about my time working phone tech support, because I could work my queue and walk out without having to give any thought to anything that occurred that day. That's not the reality of being in any sort of management role, and the higher up you go the less that matches reality.
      - yen223 3y ago
        I have yet to see a CEO choose to go back down the food chain, even though that is something they have the power to do.
        ghaff 3y ago
        CEOs of large companies generally don't go back down the food chain because they don't need to. They retire/semi-retire (e.g. get a board seat or some other advisor type of position) instead.
        HeatrayEnjoyer 3y ago
        The strongest factor in personal employment decisions is what we "need to". Of course a CEO doesn't need to continue pulling their weight when they have piles of cash to retire on.

nonrandomstring 3y ago

You're not wrong, but my goodness... the effort, and the waiting. It's so sapping to have to work for your money like a regular person, and then work again and again just to get what's rightfully due to you.

iinnPP 3y ago
This is a very important point that a lot of folks miss. You van spend hundreds or even thousands of hours getting what is obviously due and often that is all lost. I have let many people go who I would persue in a world with my hours being paid(at a lawyers rate) in the event of a victory in the courtroom. Ahhh, should land...

asadotzler 3y ago

They have lawyers and you don't so expect this to be dragged out and expensive for you and your rewards, if successful, to not even cover the initial losses fully, much less the time and money of the suit. The big companies will always win. Better off suing the small construction company or building firm, as you're far more likely to be on even(er) ground with them.