The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) convened for its Winter General Assembly (GA) on March 26. Fewer than 350 students—the minimum requirement to meet quorum—attended the GA, forcing the assembly to become a consultative forum. All motions passed by a consultative forum can be added to the agenda of[Read More…]
Tag: Strike
Behind the picket line: Accessible education requires a concrete action plan
Today’s university graduates are suffocating under record-high student debt. A 2015 survey by the Canadian University Survey Consortium indicates that approximately 50 per cent of graduating students have debt and carry an average of $26,819 in tuition debt. Debt delays or impedes important life milestones, such as buying a home,[Read More…]
When educators are undervalued, everyone loses
On Tuesday, Nov. 21, hundreds of thousands of Ontario college students returned to class as the province’s five-week college faculty strike finally came to an end. The 12,000 college faculty—including professors, instructors, counsellors, and librarians—had been on strike since Oct. 16. After all that, it’s hard to say who won.[Read More…]
AMUSE members secure collective agreement with McGill
Two years of negotiations conclude in agreement On the night of Jan. 9, members of the Association of McGill University Support Employees (AMUSE) voted 86 per cent in favour to ratify a new collective agreement with McGill. The union, which represents over 1,500 casual employees on campus ranging from floor[Read More…]
PGSS Council stands with AMUSE in negotiations
On Nov. 16, the Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) legislative council discussed a motion supporting the Association of McGill University Supports Employees (AMUSE) collective bargaining. The council also addressed questions to Provost and Vice-Principal (VP Academic) Christopher Manfredi and discussed security measures that were to be taken at the Nov. 19[Read More…]
Edward Snowden speaks on privacy and surveillance at McGill
Lecture delay and AMUSE picket A line of students stretched around the Leacock Building to the Milton Gates as Edward Snowden, former contractor for the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), held an exclusive video conference hosted by Media@McGill on the evening of Nov. 3. Snowden was streaming via Google Hangouts[Read More…]
Unacceptable and urgent: McGill must reach agreement with AMUSE
After a meeting with the McGill administration on Oct. 28, the Association of McGill University Support Employees (AMUSE) called a five day strike, which began on Oct. 29. AMUSE is a labour union representing approximately 1,500 casual and temporary employees in both part-time and full-time positions. It has been negotiating[Read More…]
AMUSE general assembly authorizes strike mandate
With 82 per cent approval, the Association for McGill University Support Employees (AMUSE) pursued a mandate on Oct. 20 to authorize the union to strike. AMUSE began in Fall 2008 in hopes of unionizing work study employees. According to the AMUSE website, there are currently 1,500 union members, representing both[Read More…]
AGSEM ratifies McGill’s Global Offer of Settlement at GA
The Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM) voted at a General Assembly (GA) on Wednesday to ratify the Global Offer of Settlement from McGill. The vote passed 172 to 101. The decision brings to a close a negotiating process that has been ongoing since the expiration of the[Read More…]
Anti-austerity march draws estimated 75,000 protesters
Tens of thousands of participants marched in a protest against provincial austerity measures on April 2. The protest was organized by student federation Association pour une Solidarité Syndicale Étudiante (ASSÉ). According to the organizers, around 75,000 people participated in the march, which convened at Square Victoria at 1 p.m. and[Read More…]
