Bargaining Update: January 25 and February 1, 2013
The bargaining committee is pleased to report that we have come to an agreement with the administration on the important issue of medical, emergency, marriage, and bereavement leaves. We are still negotiating parental leaves and have started discussing hiring priority and course allocation.
While there has been positive movement at the bargaining table, the actions of the administration outside of negotiations are worrying. As you may be aware, the administration has decided to cut 100 courses in the faculty of arts, cuts that they have indicated will primarily affect course lecturers. These cuts were announced without prior consultation with our union, and had been decided before the budget cuts, which raises concerns regarding other possible future measures. We have been actively denouncing these cuts in all fora, demanding that the administration reverse its decision.
Moreover, we cannot condone the way the Dean of Arts, Christopher Manfredi, justifies taking away our work. In a written statement to the McGill Daily, Manfredi not only suggested that the pedagogy of course lecturers was less than adequate, but referred to us disparagingly as mere “temporary teaching staff”. These recent and worrisome developments call into question the administration’s willingness to bargain with us in good faith.
Our success at the bargaining table depends on your continued support and input. Your active participation and suggestions to steer the negotiation process are invaluable to the bargaining committee, and have a direct impact at the table. Please continue to involve yourself in this process, and to impart to us your concerns and suggestions.
At the start of negotiations, the parties agreed on publishing the following statement, to be included on all bargaining updates: “The University and the union jointly recognize the importance of informing the McGill community of our progress in negotiations. While we may have different positions on some issues, we are both committed to finding common ground. We have agreed to provide a link to the other party’s bargaining updates along with each of ours”. To find the corresponding update from the university click here.
Bargaining Update: January 11, 2013
2013.01.17
Bargaining discussions resumed on January 11, when we met with the university’s administration for a full day of negotiations. We are currently negotiating medical, maternity, parental, bereavement, and other important leaves. These talks will be resumed at our next bargaining session scheduled for January 25th. The issues we will discuss in the months to come are vital to our working conditions as course lecturers and instructors. Your bargaining committee needs your support, as our visibility on the ground creates movement at the table.
At the start of negotiations, the parties agreed on publishing the following statement, to be included on all bargaining updates: “The university and the union jointly recognize the importance of informing the McGill community of our progress in negotiations. While we may have different positions on some issues, we are both committed to finding common ground. We have agreed to provide a link to the other party’s bargaining updates along with each of ours”. To find the corresponding update from the university click here.
Bargaining Update: December 10 and 13, 2012
2012.12.21
As your semester winds down, your union’s bargaining meetings for this year have also come to an end. At this time, we are happy to report that negotiations have been fruitful this semester despite some challenges. That being said, we are very aware that the upcoming semester will bring much bigger challenges, as core issues that are vital to us are about to unfold. We fully appreciate your ongoing support.
What We Agreed Upon
In these meetings, we have come to an agreement on part of article 11, which stipulates the duration and distribution of the collective agreement. Under article 11.02, the provisions of the collective agreement will continue until a new agreement is signed. In article 11.03, we have agreed to choose between a two- or three-year-long contract. The exact length will be decided once we know the content of the entire collective agreement. If we were to choose a two-year contract, negotiations would start three months before the contract expires; in the case of a three-year contract, negotiations would begin six months before its expiration.
After exchanging several proposals, the administration has agreed to provide printed copies of the collective agreement to every union member and to cover the distribution means and the costs. This is important because all our members should have access and be aware of their rights.
We also came to an agreement in article 11.08 that the university will absolve our members of civil responsibility for any action or omission for which the university could be held liable as an employer. In other words, if a course lecturer or an instructor is sued in performing her duties, she will not be held legally responsible. This provision does not apply in the case of gross negligence on the part of the employee.
What We’re Still Negotiating
We are happy to report that we have made important steps forward in negotiating articles 33 and 34, which deal with the subject of the following paid and unpaid leaves: medical leave, bereavement leave, jury and witness leave, marriage and civil union leave, and emergency leave. After exchanging a number of proposals with the employer on these issues, we are waiting for them to respond to our demands favourably. We are optimistic that we will reach an agreement when we resume our negotiation talks in January.
In article 11.14, we have proposed that members of our bargaining unit who also work elsewhere at McGill should not be affected in their other positions at McGill in the case of a strike or lockout. The employer has refused our proposal. The union’s position is that each employee group has its own working conditions and collective agreement; therefore, our collective agreement and its application should not affect employees of other bargaining units and vice versa.
We have also proposed in article 35 that employees and their dependant family members benefit from tuition fee waivers at McGill University. This is a benefit that faculty and support staff already receive, and, in recognition of course lecturers and instructors’ academic contribution to McGill, we would like this right to be extended to our members as well.
Where We’re Going
We are happy to report that we have already set dates for the next negotiation meetings from January to mid-May. We will be meeting with the administration for full days of negotiations on the following dates:
Friday, January 11, 2013
Friday, February 1, 2013
Friday, February 15, 2013
Friday, February 22, 2013
Friday, March 1, 2013
Friday, March 15, 2013
Friday, March 22, 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013
Friday, April 19, 2013
Friday, April 26, 2013
Friday, May 10, 2013
Friday, May 17, 2013
At the start of negotiations, the parties agreed on publishing the following statement, to be included on all bargaining updates: “The university and the union jointly recognize the importance of informing the McGill community of our progress in negotiations. While we may have different positions on some issues, we are both committed to finding common ground. We have agreed to provide a link to the other party’s bargaining updates along with each of ours”. To find the corresponding update from the university click here.
Bargaining Update: October-November Negotiations
2012.12.02
Since the bargaining update that we presented at our October 12th General Assembly, we have had several bargaining sessions, which have seen us steadily work toward a fair and equitable collective agreement. While we have made important gains, there are a few key demands that the administration has refused, and that we will continue to remain firm upon.
What We Agreed Upon
We came to a tacit agreement on Article 4.0, an article that addresses Course Lecturer and Instructor participation on university bodies. The administration has recognized the importance of our work to the educational mission of the university, and need for our participation on bodies that determine its direction. It is a tacit agreement because it does not set out which committees our members will be invited to sit on. Those details will, instead, be established when we negotiate the clauses that have corresponding committees. For example, when we table our proposal for health benefits, we will negotiate whether our members will have a seat on the benefits committee.
After some back and forth, we managed to agree on Article 5.0. This article outlines the scope of the collective agreement and its application. If there is still some dispute as to who is covered under our bargaining certificate, things will remain status quo until the courts render a decision. What is most relevant about this article is that it clearly states that the employer cannot introduce contracts that run contrary to our collective agreement.
We are happy to report that we were able to agree upon most of Article 6, which outlines our union’s right to represent and freely communicate with us, its members. With regards to recognition, 6.08 states that the employer will not enact rules and regulations that are in contradiction to our collective agreement, and that if we come across any such rule or regulation, we have the right to contest and grieve it. Article 6.13 allows us to better communicate with our members, as it states that the administration agrees to provide us with our members’ contact information, and to do so immediately. This is important because, previously, the member list that the employer sent us only included members’ names and departments, with no relevant contact information, making it much more difficult for us to keep in touch with our members.
What We’re Still Negotiating
There are a few important clauses in Article 6 that remain unresolved. In keeping with the employer’s recognition of the place of the union, in 6.07 we have proposed that the employer respect our members’ right to ask for a union representative to be present at any meeting with the employer. The administration wants to limit this right to those meetings that are related to disciplinary measures and grievances. We maintain that it is an essential right of each member to, if they so desire, seek the union’s counsel or representation in all matters related to working conditions and the application of our collective agreement.
We have yet to reach an agreement on Article 7.01, which proposes that the employer provide the union with membership cards at the time of any new hire. This is essential to the life of the union because it is only after signing a union card that our members can attend unit and general assemblies and exercise their democratic right to vote. The administration has refused to agree to this reasonable request, despite the fact that this is in the collective agreements of most other unions on campus.
The administration has also refused our demand in Articles 5.04 & 5.05 that they not contract out any course or course-related task to those who are not part of our union. We resolutely maintain that contracting out our work would not only be contrary to the aims, but would also violate the very integrity of our collective agreement.
Where We’re Going
We have two negotiation sessions, on the 10th and 13th of December, before we break for the holidays. We intend on using these sessions to both address some of the articles that have remained unresolved and to begin discussions on the key demand that our members retain legal and moral rights over their intellectual property. We have also started discussing statutory holidays and leaves. We will keep you updated as to where we stand by semester’s end.
At the start of negotiations, the parties agreed on publishing the following statement, to be included on all bargaining updates: “The university and the union jointly recognize the importance of informing the McGill community of our progress in negotiations. While we may have different positions on some issues, we are both committed to finding common ground. We have agreed to provide a link to the other party’s bargaining updates along with each of ours”. To find the corresponding update from the university click here.
Bargaining Update- Negotiations on September 7th 2012
2012.09.17
Welcome back to a new and exciting academic year. As you know from our previous correspondence, we are in the midst of bargaining for our first Collective Agreement. While we’ve had five meetings to date, on Friday we had our first bargaining meeting of the Fall semester. We are happy to report that we agreed upon articles that outline fundamental rights and freedoms, presented our proposal to protect academic freedom, and set goals and dates for the near future.
Where We Were Coming From
Toward the end of our last meeting in July, we proposed language to the administration’s bargaining team that dealt with non-discrimination and the protection of fundamental freedoms. This article was important because it protects the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Quebec charter in the context of our everyday work life.
What We Agreed Upon
The union is happy to report that, after some negotiation on language, at Friday’s meeting the union and the university signed off on contract language protecting us from discrimination in its different forms. The union is also pleased that the employer recognized that course lecturers enjoy the right to freedoms of expression, opinion and peaceful assembly in the workplace, and that they have agreed to include this in our Collective Agreement. The contract language that was agreed upon will make up Article 3 of our Collective Agreement.
What We Proposed
In the context of rights and freedoms, we tabled our proposal to define and protect the academic freedom of course lecturers and instructors. We explained that strong protection of academic freedom is a prerequisite for excellent teaching, and essential if we are to fulfil our professional and social responsibilities as academics. The administration’s bargaining team expressed to us that they recognized the importance of academic freedom for course lecturers, but needed to study the article before getting back to us. We look forward to their response, and trust that they will share in our commitment to transform this guiding principle into a protected right.
Where We’re Going
McGill’s administration has agreed to deposit their proposal to us electronically by Thursday of this week. It was agreed that in lieu of meeting on the 13th, our bargaining team will use this time to closely study the document and prepare proposals for our next meeting on September 21st.
At the start of negotiations, the parties agreed on publishing the following statement, to be included on all bargaining updates: “The university and the union jointly recognize the importance of informing the McGill community of our progress in negotiations. While we may have different positions on some issues, we are both committed to finding common ground. We have agreed to provide a link to the other party’s bargaining updates along with each of ours”. To find the corresponding update from the university click here.
AGSEM and McGill Set Fall Negotiation Calendar
2012.07.10
The union and the administration have agreed to the following bargaining dates:
•Friday, September 7
•Thursday, September 13
•Friday, September 21
•Wednesday, September 26
•Friday, October 5
•Thursday, October 11
•Friday, October 19
•Tuesday, October 23
•Tuesday, October 30
•Tuesday, November 6
•Thursday, November 15
•Friday, November 23
At the start of negotiations, the parties agreed on publishing the following statement, to be included on all bargaining updates: “The university and the union jointly recognize the importance of informing the McGill community of our progress in negotiations. While we may have different positions on some issues, we are both committed to finding common ground. We have agreed to provide a link to the other party’s bargaining updates along with each of ours”. To find the corresponding update from the university click here.
Negotiations Begin on a Positive Note
2012.07.10
As many of you know, your elected Bargaining Committee notified the university administration in early March that we were ready to begin negotiating our first collective agreement. On May 16th, we held a preliminary meeting to discuss our negotiation calendar and the logistical considerations of the bargaining process. We met with the administration’s bargaining team for negotiation sessions on June 27th, June 28th, July 5th and July 6th.
These first days at the bargaining table were a fruitful, promising start. Our counterparts on the employer’s side of the table demonstrated that the administration shares our goal to move the process forward. In fact, in just four days, we found common ground and settled several issues at the table. We have also fixed a weekly meeting schedule for further negotiation beginning in September through to December.
The union and the administration reached agreement on the following issues:
- Objectives of the Collective Agreement
- Health/Safety/Environment
- Harassment and Bullying
- Grievances and Arbitration
- Progressive Discipline
We will provide additional detail on our progress in person, at our next unit assembly. We anticipate holding as assembly in September.
Our negotiations have started on a positive note and the Bargaining Committee is pleased with the results. While our experiences this year have taught us to be cautious, we now find ourselves cautiously optimistic.
We look forward to what September will bring and we will return to the bargaining table with a firm commitment to negotiate a fair contract. Our members mandated us to negotiate working conditions like those extended to our colleagues at every other university in Québec. Our demands are reasonable and they reflect working conditions that have been financed by other institutions operating within the same funding framework as McGill.
We know full well that the subjects ahead of us will be more difficult than those already settled. Disagreement is inevitable, but it need not end in conflict. These early signs give us hope that both parties will choose the path of compromise and common ground.
More information on fall activities will be posted in late August or early September.
We have also proposed in article 35 that employees and their dependant family members benefit from tuition fees waivers at McGill University. This is a benefit that faculty and support staff already receive, and, in recognition of course lecturers and instructors’ academic contribution to McGill, we would like this right to be extended to our members as well.
At the start of negotiations, the parties agreed on publishing the following statement, to be included on all bargaining updates: “The university and the union jointly recognize the importance of informing the McGill community of our progress in negotiations. While we may have different positions on some issues, we are both committed to finding common ground. We have agreed to provide a link to the other party’s bargaining updates along with each of ours”. To find the corresponding update from the university click here.
