New article signed! Health and Safety in the works, but McGill reluctant to add protections against harassment and discrimination – Bargaining Update #7

Despite the foggy morning, the mood in the negotiation room was bright—after setting the groundwork last week, we signed off on Article 3, preserving AGSEM’s ability to receive relevant information from McGill that impacts your working conditions. We are looking forward to carrying this momentum into our upcoming negotiation sessions. 

On our side of the table were Jordan Cowie (1L, Grader & Course Tutor, Management/Law), Bronwyn Walsh (Recent Graduate, Grader & Course Assistant, Math & Stats), Connor O’Keefe (Undergraduate, 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). Dallas Jokic, AGSEM’s co-president, joined online via Zoom. As per our open bargaining mandate, five additional AGSEM members were also in attendance. 

In addition to Article 3, we followed up on Article 14 (Health and Safety) and Article 6 (Harassment and Discrimination) from last week. Both sides presented their proposals or counter-proposals. 

For Article 6, it seems McGill is somewhat receptive to adding language that better defines who is covered under the policy and what the policy itself covers. However, they continue to be reluctant to add language that would increase protections for victims. We are committed to an equitable, comprehensive clause and will be following up in the coming weeks. 

Next session we will return with our counter-proposal for Health and Safety – it is crucial that we ensure our working conditions are safe. 

Our open bargaining mandate means members are welcome and encouraged to attend negotiations. Let’s show McGill our collective power. Our next session will be Wednesday, October 1st from 10:00am – 12:00pm. Please fill out this form to sign up, and we’ll be in touch**.** 

Next week brings two important (and catered) events! Tuesday, September 30th at 5:30pm is the Unit 3 Assembly, where we’ll discuss our bargaining mandate. Come and make your voice heard in Leacock 110 or virtually! Wednesday, October 1st is the inter-union rally at Roddick Gates from 12:00pm–1:00pm, just after open bargaining. We’ll see you there!

Love and solidarity, Your Bargaining and Bargaining Support Committees