McGill wants you to take a pay cut - Unit 3 Bargaining Newsletter #24
At our June 17th bargaining session, we presented our counterproposal on Article 11 (positions) and Article 15 (leaves). McGill presented their counterproposal on wages and union liberations.
McGill’s wage offer includes massive pay cuts (up to 50%!) for many workers. While marginal gains would be made for those working at minimum wage (who would see a 5.64% raise), the majority of our union members would actually face a pay decrease with only a 1.25% increase per year (which is a lot less than the cost of living increase).
The table below compares McGill’s wage proposals to what we initially proposed. As noted by bargaining committee member Donnie Morard, the hourly rates proposed by McGill completely devalue the extensive credentials and specialized knowledge that workers in these positions are expected to bring to the table.
The main takeaway? McGill is trying to cut wages for most positions in the bargaining unit with their wage proposal.
We had several members in the room for open bargaining, who got to hear McGill’s proposal firsthand and let the bargaining committee know exactly how they felt about it:
“Nothing makes sense. What are the metrics for how they are creating these increase percentages? Every job should have an increment which should be between 5-6%. I hope they come back and explain.” -Mandy, U3 member, Mining and Material Engineering
“McGill is stingy…they’re meeting us only an inch above the ground” -Aimee, grader and tutor, Management
“Embarrassing…I feel disrespected.” -Jackie, grader, Management
Although McGill’s wage proposal was extremely frustrating, we still made some progress at the table. We submitted our counterproposal on Article 15, continuing to fight for sick leave provisions after one month of work for academic casuals on short contracts, and Article 11, which includes workload forms to clarify your apportionment of hours and tasks expected. We hope to make more positive progress on these articles at the next negotiation session.
On our side of the table yesterday were Emma Moore (Recent B.A Graduate, Grader, Management), Donald Morard (PhD Candidate, Grader, History), Jordan Cowie (2L Faculty of Law), Ari Blondal (President), Grey Lorbetskie (U3 Grievance Officer), and Guillaume Forest-Allard, our advisor from our affiliate union Fédération nationale des enseignantes et des enseignants du Québec (FNEEQ). We were also joined by 5 members for open bargaining!
Join us for open bargaining! Your presence in the room puts tangible pressure on McGill’s bargaining team by showing them that our members are engaged in negotiations, invested in the development of a strong collective agreement, and willing to show up and fight for the future of their working conditions. Click here to sign up!