First of all I think the correct terminology would be human beings whom are trying to make a living. Now that we have established that the employees on strike are advocating for the 75% of contract employees who teach hundreds of thousands of our students.  Imagine waking up every morning not knowing if you will be hired after your 4 month contract. Have all the courses been given away? Are there any left for you to teach next semester. With short notice, will you have to find a different job, a different profession? Will you be able to feed your family or pay your rent? So let's look at the issue for what it really is rather than dehumanizing a bunch of highly educated professionals (not peons)!