Teaching Assistants at McGill Accept Global Offer of Settlement

MONTREAL, Oct. 2, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - On September 30th, the Teaching Assistants and Invigilators' Union (AGSEM) Unit 1 (Teaching Assistants) held their General Assembly to vote on a Global Offer of Settlement from McGill. Having been presented with the details of the offer by the Unit 1 Bargaining Committee, TAs engaged in a vigorous debate before voting on a motion to ratify. The votes were counted for a total of 172 in favour and 101 opposed, and the offer was accepted.

AGSEM's Bargaining Committee has contacted McGill's negotiating team to make arrangements to finalise the new collective agreement in the days to come. The new agreement will include a 9% wage increase over four years, beginning retroactively with a 2.5%  increase from January 2015, until its expiration in June of 2018. The new agreement will also include some improved language regarding discrimination and harassment complaints.

This decision ends a bargaining process that has been ongoing since the last collective agreement expired in June 2014. One significant demand that was not included in the final agreement was a guarantee that TA hours keep pace with undergraduate enrolment. The issue of hours was one that previous assemblies had identified as a main priority, but ultimately it was not possible to agree on this issue at the bargaining table. "It's unfortunate that we couldn't bring back an offer that would provide better protection for hours," said AGSEM President Justin Irwin, "but our members made a clear decision. Without a doubt, the issue of hours will surface in the next negotiations".

SOURCE Fédération nationale des enseignantes et des enseignants du Québec (FNEEQ-CSN)

Justin Irwin, President, AGSEM - Teaching Assistants and Invigilators, [email protected]; France Désaulniers, Communication Advisor, FNEEQ-CSN, 514-219-2947