AGSEM Special General Assembly on the September 23rd Climate Strike (TAs and Invigilators)

La version française suit.

Registration is necessary to attend the event, and the meeting link and agenda will be sent to those who register in advance of the meeting.

On August 23, the Delegates’ Council mandated the AGSEM Executive Committee to call a Special GA on the topic of the Student Climate Strike.

The items on the agenda are related to the Climate Strike, and the nature of AGSEM’s participation in the action scheduled for September 23, 2022. This includes a motion for whether the union will go on a one-day strike on September 23 for immediate action on the climate.

The working agenda is available here, and will be finalized 24 hours in advance of the meeting.

Meeting Link

To receive the link to attend this Special General Assembly and exercise your right to speak and vote, please RSVP as soon as possible. It is important to RSVP in advance so we can ensure the validity of any vote taken during the assembly.

The Special General Assembly will follow the regularly-scheduled Delegates’ Council meeting, which starts at 6pm ET. A link will be provided to everyone who RSVPs for either meeting. The same Zoom link will be used for both meetings; that is, once the Delegates’ Council meeting finishes, we will call the Special General Assembly to order. All AGSEM members also have the right to attend (but not vote at) the Delegates’ Council meeting (RSVP here).

AGSEM Membership Rights

The AGSEM General Assembly is the highest decision-making body of our Union and you are a member if you have worked as a TA or Invigilator within the last 12 months.

Please remember to sign your AGSEM membership form, if you have not done so already. Only TAs and Invigilators who have signed their membership form within the last 12 months will have the right to vote and speak. You can sign your form digitally on our website: https://www.agsem.ca/membership-forms.

August 23 Delegates' Council Motion

Below find the motion mandating the Executive Committee to call a Special General Assembly.

Motion to mandate the AGSEM EC to call a special General Assembly to hold a strike vote

• WHEREAS the climate strike mobilization on September 23 is a student climate strike rather than a labour strike, which has a different legal procedure and standing under provincial law;
• WHEREAS the labour movement has historically not been significantly involved in similar mobilizations for the climate—in part, due to labour law around wildcat strikes;
• WHEREAS withholding labour through strike actions is a fundamental tactic of the labour movement to put pressure on employers, institutions, and governments to improve policies;
• WHEREAS the inaction of our institutions and governments on the climate, in spite of the severity of the crisis, necessitates direct action;
• BIRT the AGSEM Delegates’ Council mandates the AGSEM Executive Committee to convene a Special General Assembly of TAs and Invigilators in advance of the September 23 Climate Strike;
• BIFRT, following the AGSEM Constitution for Special Assemblies, the only topic of discussion will be the union’s position on the climate action and a strike vote for a one-day labour strike with the following motion:
  • “BIRT AGSEM calls a one-day climate strike on September 23, in alignment with international student movements, in the event that 20 Quebec unions representing 10,000 workers also adopt a strike mandate in a similar sense.
  • BIFRT AGSEM demands McGill support the union’s position and does not discipline TAs and Invigilators who choose to participate in the action;
  • BIFRT AGSEM requests that the CSN and/or FNEEQ provide political, financial and legal support to local unions that adopt a climate strike mandate for the fall of 2022.”
• Moved by Kim, seconded by Dallas.
• 12 in favour, 3 against, 2 abstentions (JP and Marta).
• Approved

Constitution

On the constitutionality this Special General Assembly and strike vote, please refer to the AGSEM Constitution:

2.24: Special Assemblies (either General Assemblies or Unit Assemblies) may be convened by the President, upon approval of the Executive Committee. The meeting must be called with at least twenty-four (24) hours’ notice. The notice of the meeting must contain information indicated in 2.15 Special Assemblies will be limited in scope to the subject(s) indicated on the agenda at the time the meeting is called.

2.28: For a strike vote to be valid and binding, the motion must pass a vote, by secret ballot, of the majority of Union members within the bargaining unit exercising their right to vote. All necessary measures shall be taken to ensure that at least 48 hours’ notice be given in advance of the vote. A majority vote of Union membership is sufficient to start a strike.

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Le 23 août, le Conseil des délégués a mandaté le Comité exécutif de l'AEEDEM pour convoquer une Assemblée Générale Spéciale sur le thème de la grève étudiante pour le climat.

Les points à l'ordre du jour sont liés à la grève pour le climat et à la nature de la participation de l'AEEDEM à l'action prévue le 23 septembre 2022. Cela comprend une motion pour savoir si le syndicat entamera une journée de grève le 23 septembre pour une action immédiate sur le climat.

L'ordre du jour est disponible ici et sera finalisé 24 heures avant la réunion.

Lien de la réunion

Pour recevoir le lien pour assister à cette Assemblée générale extraordinaire et exercer votre droit de parole et de vote, veuillez confirmer votre présence sur notre site Web dès que possible. Il est important de RSVP à l'avance afin que nous puissions assurer la validité de tout les votes pris lors de l'assemblée.

L'Assemblée générale spéciale suivra la réunion régulière du Conseil des délégués, qui commence à 18 h, HE. Un lien sera fourni à tous ceux qui répondront à l'une ou l'autre des réunions. Le même lien Zoom sera utilisé pour les deux réunions ; c'est-à-dire qu'une fois la réunion du Conseil des délégués terminée, nous appellerons l'Assemblée générale spéciale à l'ordre. Tous les membres de l'AEEDEM ont également le droit d'assister à la réunion du Conseil des délégués (mais pas de voter) (RSVP ici).

Droits d'adhésion à l'AEEDEM

L'Assemblée Générale de l'AEEDEM est la plus haute instance décisionnelle de notre Union et vous êtes membre si vous avez travaillé comme assistant d’enseignement ou surveillant d’examen au cours des 12 derniers mois.

N'oubliez pas de signer votre formulaire d'adhésion à l'AEEDEM en ligne, si vous ne l'avez pas déjà fait. Seuls les assistants d'enseignement et les surveillants qui ont signé leur formulaire d'adhésion au cours des 12 derniers mois auront le droit de vote et de parole. Vous pouvez signer votre formulaire numériquement sur notre site Web : https://www.agsem.ca/membership-forms.