AGSEM

Trick đŸ‘»đŸ˜ˆ( Workday Job Applications Pending Eternally) or Treat 🍬🎃(Clear Conflict of Interest Policy; BBL Mentioned in Bargaining?!)—Bargaining Updates 9 and 10

On two equally rainy, tempestuous Wednesdays, our intrepid bargaining committee came from far and wide to fight for the contract unit 3 deserves. That is right, this is a double-update covering the bargaining sessions on October 22nd and 29th!

By and large, both weeks were focused primarily on Articles 12 (job postings), 13 (Hiring, Onboarding), and 14 (Health and Safety, General Provisions). Regarding Article 12 (and 13), McGill had given their proposals piecemeal over the course of the summer, and we took these two sessions to engage with them in full, trading proposals back and forth. 

For Article 12, we questioned McGill about their proposal to exclude an application deadline and application procedures from the job postings. The employer also proposed a contract extension mechanism and ways to hire people urgently in case of an unexpected event, such as the death of a professor. We asked for clarification, as our members have signalled disinterest in establishing a priority system, and there was worry that contract extensions could be used to prioritize employed unit 3 members instead of affording new applicants a chance to work. After advocating for clear and descriptive job postings, we have reached a mutual understanding on some key parts of article 12. 

Turning towards Article 13, we questioned their proposal to remove the duty to notify unhired candidates when someone else is given the job; no one likes to see a job application remain ‘pending’ for months on end (BOO!). It is not too much to ask for notification if someone else gets the position one applies to; all workers should be provided with this information so they can make informed decisions as to what is best for them. We also addressed the information that AGSEM needs from the employer when they are onboarding a new unit 3 worker. This information is crucial for our ability to get in touch with our membership so as to best represent their interests both inside and outside the bargaining room—it is also info one would supply for any job application anyways. Lastly, we pushed to ensure that training and orientations are available to first-time graders and course assistants.

Also of note these two weeks, Article 14 (health and safety, general provisions) is incredibly close to being finished! All that is left is what we will call the conflict-of-interest (COI) policy. Over the course of the reading week, the employer put together a COI policy—similar to what we had proposed prior—which addressed one of our membership’s concerns: when a worker has a close relationship with someone in a class they are grading for. Meanwhile, we took that time to put together a very comprehensive, similarly worded policy that also had examples to refer to, and made sure workers are not penalized for flagging conflicts of interest. After some back-and-forth negotiations, we have reached an understanding as to what the role of the COI is, and why it is in the best interest of unit 3 workers and the employer to have a clear, respectful policy they all can refer to. We are taking this week to dwell on the nitty gritty details (AKA one or two words) which can make the onus of a COI disclosure as clear as possible.

So, we are getting closer to an Article 12 that demands a clear application process. Furthermore, Article 14 is about 99% done! For this coming week, the bargaining committee will draft a response to the most recent Article 12 proposal that McGill gave us. In the meantime, McGill agreed to draft up their proposal for article 13.

On our side of the table were Jordan Cowie (1L, Grader & Course Tutor, Management/Law), Bronwyn Walsh (Recent Graduate, Grader & Course Assistant, Math & Stats), Donald Morard (PhD Candidate, Grader, History), and Guillaume Forest-Allard, our advisor from our affiliate union Fédération nationale des enseignantes et des enseignants du Québec (FNEEQ), and both AGSEM co-presidents, Dallas Jokic and emma mckay. We had four additional AGSEM members in attendance during October 22nd, and six AGSEM members attending on October 29th.

Do you want to see our next negotiation take place? Have some muffins and coffee while listening to your bargaining committee strategize during a caucus?! Hear a professor on McGill’s bargaining team talk about designating students BBL (Biological, Biomedical, and Life Science)? Sign up to be a member in the room! We currently have two dates in November set, and you can attend online:

Please fill out this form to sign up, and we’ll be in touch!

Love and solidarity, 

Your Bargaining and Bargaining Support Committee

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