Representatives from Unit 3 of the Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM) sat down with the university on March 27 for the first time to negotiate a collective agreement (CA). Unit 3 represents Academic Casual workers such as tutors, graders, course assistants, and graduate teaching fellows. AGSEM’s Units 1 and 2 represent teaching assistants (TAs) and invigilators, respectively.
This first meeting comes two months after AGSEM reported McGill had been slow to begin the negotiation process.
During the session, Unit 3’s bargaining committee presented their non-monetary demands to the university, including calls for better protections for unit members against harassment and discrimination.
In a written statement to The Tribune, Bronwyn Walsh, a member of the Unit 3 bargaining committee, emphasized the importance of these protections, given that McGill’s Policy Against Harassment and Discrimination is currently under review by the university.
“Since this policy is being reviewed/reworked this year and we don’t yet know what the policy will look like, it is important that we ensure our membership is protected through the Collective Agreement as well,” Walsh wrote. “Additionally, there are some things [that] are not currently covered by McGill’s policy such as deadnaming and misgendering, and harassment of academic casuals by students.”
The McGill Media Relations Office (MRO) explained to The Tribune that the university is reviewing the Policy Against Harassment and Discrimination as required per section 10.1 of the document, which states that the policy will be reviewed every 3 years. McGill declined to comment on the bargaining meeting.
“As a general rule, we avoid commenting on labour negotiations that are underway,” MRO wrote.
According to Donnie Morard, another member of the bargaining committee, other non-monetary demands included that McGill create a conflict of interest policy and standardize its hiring process for academic casuals.
Morard highlighted that like AGSEM’s Unit 1 TA negotiations with the university during the 2023-2024 academic year, Unit 3’s CA will be developed through open bargaining “to make use of workers’ expertise of their diverse roles and working conditions on campus.” This means all members of Unit 3 are invited to attend negotiations with McGill and share thoughts on the proceedings.
“These negotiations are important as this first contract will provide protections to over 800 workers on campus in positions such as graders, course assistants, and graduate teaching fellows, along with roles in the McGill Writing Centre not previously unionized,” Morard wrote. “We hope for a quick negotiation that will give these workers a strong contract that recognizes the value they bring to campus.”
Walsh noted that AGSEM is “excited” to begin this new bargaining process, reaffirming the union’s aim of securing stronger safeguards for academic casuals.
“[W]e look forward to building a contract that greatly improves the working conditions of Unit 3,” Walsh wrote.
