<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Dear all,<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">The following statement was signed by members of the Philosophy Department and sent to the Provost last night. It can also be seen online at <a href="https://philosophystrikestatement.wordpress.com/" class="">https://philosophystrikestatement.wordpress.com/</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">CHeers,</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Rebecca Comay</div><div class="">(Philosophy)</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div id="content" class="site-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 3em auto; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 960px; color: rgb(52, 81, 81); line-height: 24px; widows: 1; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div id="primary" class="content-area" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px auto; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 660px;"><main id="main" class="site-main" role="main" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><article id="post-2" class="post-2 post hentry category-uncategorized status-publish format-standard type-post" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 3em; width: 660px; z-index: 0; padding-bottom: 1.5em; position: relative;"><div class="entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.6rem; font-style: inherit; margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">STRIKE SUPPORT FROM THE PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT:</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">As faculty members of the Philosophy Department, we support all efforts to improve the conditions for scholarship and study at the University of Toronto. We share with our students a commitment to academic integrity and learning, and we deplore the sharp inequalities that exist among the different working positions at this university.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">We recognize the precarious labor conditions under which teaching assistants, course instruct<span class="text_exposed_show" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">ors and sessional instructors work, and we also recognize the impact these conditions have on the quality of both undergraduate and graduate education. Teaching assistants and many course instructors are living with below poverty-level wages, and many PhD students are struggling to complete the final years of their degree with a funding package that includes no tuition waivers or financial support.</span></p><div class="text_exposed_show" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">We applaud the commitment our teaching assistants and junior colleagues have made to address these issues, and we urge the administration to return to the bargaining table as soon as possible.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">Joseph Berkovitz<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">James Robert Brown<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">Nate Charlow<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">Rebecca Comay<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">Ronnie de Sousa<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">Robert Gibbs<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">Willi Goetschel<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">Benj Hellie<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">Karolina Huebner<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">Waheed Hussain<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">James John<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">Bernard Katz<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">Peter King<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">Mark Kingwell<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">Sophia Moreau<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">Julia Nefsky</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">Marleen Rozemond<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">William Seager</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit;" class="">Sonia Sedivy</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">Andrew Sepielli<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">Nicholas Stang<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">Denis Walsh<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">Jonathan Weisberg<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">Jessica Wilson<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">Byeong-uk Yi</p></div></div></article></main></div></div><footer id="colophon" class="site-footer" role="contentinfo" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Lato, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2rem; opacity: 0.3; text-transform: lowercase; -webkit-transition: opacity 0.3s; transition: opacity 0.3s; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 90%; padding: 36px 0px; text-align: center; widows: 1; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></footer></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div></body></html>