Staff at McGill University Labour Union Win First Collective Agreement
Public Service Alliance of Canada Local reaches agreement with The General Union
5 January 2024
Contact:
info@syndicatgeneral.com
Montreal, QC — In a first for the Public Service Alliance of Canada’s Association of McGill University Support Employees (AMUSE), staff represented by the General Union have ratified a Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The new contract effectively curtails precarious employment at AMUSE with the introduction of a grievance procedure, backed-up with the union’s right to significant influence over the hiring process.
The new agreement also establishes a new minimum wage of $25 per hour that is subject to a 7% annual raise, and bolstered by a paid health insurance plan.
Most importantly, staff will now also have a powerful new seat at the table in shaping the organization’s policy through a labour relations committee.
AMUSE is a labour union representing 1,400 temporary workers employed by McGill University. Staff and volunteers at AMUSE have a well deserved reputation playing an essential role in enabling a high-turnover, low-wage workforce to assert their labour rights on the job.
“Workers deserve to have their seat at the table when it comes to decisions on their working conditions. They know what their workplace needs best, and employers should embrace this involvement, because the fruit it bears benefits all. This experience has been an example of what unionization could look like for everyone. Paired with strong guidance of this process, and how to build strong and sustainable worker-led unions, I believe we’ve shown an example of a future for workers and what their unions could look like”
“AMUSE and TGU demonstrated effectively that unionizing can enhance employee-employer relations, not impair them. The bargaining process for TGU’s first collective agreement was cordial and dynamic, and it will have a lasting positive impact on the wellbeing of AMUSE staff—kudos to all parties!”
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The General Union (TGU) is a labour union open to workers from all industries and companies across Montréal. Established in 2022, TGU is dedicated to fostering a democratic, innovative, and combative union movement.