McGill is continually ranked as a top research university in Canada, recently coming in second for medical research. Despite this status, the school consistently fails to adequately recognize the rights of its workers. From pushing its teaching assistants (TAs) to a hard strike for livable wages to undermining its law[Read More…]
Tag: AGSEM
McGill must confront its reliance on SPVM’s racist policing
Historically, police units have been known to target unhoused, queer, transgender, disabled, mentally ill, lower-income, Indigenous, Black, and other marginalized communities. Unhoused individuals sleeping on a park bench in Montreal can get fined up to $1000 CAD. Atif Siddiqi, who is transgender, alleged that the police laughed at them when[Read More…]
TAs urge McGill to uphold contract at back-to-school rally
Call-and-response chants of “Union! Power!” punctuated the Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM)’s back-to-school rally on Sept. 4. AGSEM, the union representing teaching assistants (TAs), exam invigilators, and Academic Casuals such as graders and tutors at McGill, held the event to mark their full return to instruction after[Read More…]
McGill begins fall term without Faculty of Law
McGill began the fall semester on Aug. 28 with its Law professors on strike. The Association of McGill Professors of Law (AMPL) first called the strike in April amidst a stalemate in their collective agreement (CA) negotiations with McGill. AMPL then decided to pause their strike in June when McGill[Read More…]
McGill’s policy on social injury leaves few options for protesters
On March 28, McGill’s Provost and Executive Vice-President (Academic) informed the campus community via email that “some protestors and picketers again attempted to disrupt University activities” and that “police made at least one arrest and the university has chosen to press charges.” Reports suggest the disruptive actions were carried out[Read More…]
Arts professors and faculty lecturers form McGill’s third and largest faculty union
With over 9,000 students and more than 300 staff members, the Faculty of Arts is the largest on campus. Despite its size, the Association of McGill Professors of the Faculty of Arts (AMPFA) surpassed the number of signed union cards necessary to file for certification at the Tribunal Administratif du[Read More…]
AGSEM claims misinformation, unjust treatment from McGill amid TA strike
Chants and ringing bells, echoed by supportive honks from passers-by, can be heard daily at the Roddick Gates as teaching assistants (TAs) enter their third week of striking and picketing for higher pay, better working conditions, and healthcare. Since TAs’ previous collective agreement (CA) expired on July 31, 2023, the[Read More…]
Queer McGill launches petition demanding removal of Provost and Executive Vice-President Christopher Manfredi
On April 1, Queer McGill launched a petition calling for the university’s Board of Governors to remove Christopher Manfredi from his position as Provost and Executive Vice-President (Academic). The petition came after Manfredi liked a post on X, formerly Twitter, which defended comedian Dave Chappelle for his use of transphobic[Read More…]
Open Letter to McGill Administration Regarding the Teaching Assistants’ Strike
On Friday, April 5, just before 2 p.m., a few signatories of the below open letter walked over to the James Administration building to deliver it in person, accompanied by about a dozen members of AGSEM. The plan was for three professors to walk in and deliver seven copies of[Read More…]
AGSEM attempts to unionize academic support workers amid TA strike
As the Teaching Assistants (TAs) strike rolls into its second week, the Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM)—the union that represents TAs and Invigilators—has continued to negotiate over TAs’ new collective agreement (CA) with McGill and has called for all other academic support workers to sign union cards. [Read More…]
