After the signing of the two AMURE collective agreements in April (Association of McGill University Research Employees), the Labour and Employee Relations team was busy with training sessions on the application of the new collective agreements across faculties and units.
High-level sessions were held, first with the University’s Research Advisory Council, then with various deans, chairs and unit heads. Those were followed by more in-depth sessions with administrators and managers, those charged with applying all aspects of the collective agreements relating to research associates and research assistants. A total of 16 sessions involving 363 participants were adapted to the different groups and held until the end of June.
According to participants, the sessions were most helpful; they served to answer all types of questions stemming from each group. But more important, the sessions helped to establish personal contacts between managers, advisors, administrators and the Labour and Employee Relations team members.
The university and AMURE also met in June for their first of four Labour Relations Committee meetings to be held this year.
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After a pause in negotiations during the summer, bargaining will resume with AGSEM course lecturers/instructors (Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill) on August 30th.
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An agreement in principle was reached with AGSEM invigilators in May. The parties worked on the official text of the documents throughout the summer. The parties expect to sign the collective agreement in September.
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On September 16th and 17th, training sessions will be given on interest-based bargaining with three of SEU’s bargaining units – trades and powerhouse, Macdonald campus; SEU powerhouse downtown; SEU trades downtown. Their contract expired on May 31st this year. Negotiations are set to start on September 24th.
Bargaining with SEU’s following three units will resume on September 11th: computing centre, printing services and facilities management/residences/Faculty Club.
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Maud Boyer, Senior Advisor, Labour and Employee Relations, has left McGill. She represented the university in dealing primarily with MUNACA and AGSEM teaching assistants. A search is on for her replacement. Meanwhile, any questions relating to these employee groups should be addressed to Robert Comeau, Director, Labour and Employee Relations.