Negotiations with MUNACA got under way in February. Agreements have been reached on grievances and disagreement procedures. Now, all employees must speak to their supervisor before filing a grievance. Discussions were also held on job postings and what constitutes a fair staffing process. The University has said that internal candidates should prevail over external applicants, provided the candidate has the right qualifications for the job. Both parties have also started discussions on benefits and pension.
McGill and AMUSE conducted their first round of negotiations in March with discussions revolving mainly around having a clear understanding of AMUSE member profiles. In April, an agreement was reached on all 15 items grouped under the headings Purpose of agreement, Union recognition/Scope of application of the collective agreement and Union dues. Further discussions have led to agreements on management rights, relationships between the union and management, discrimination and psychological harassment. AMUSE is negotiating its first collective agreement since having obtained government accreditation in January 2010.
A request for conciliation filed by AGSEM invigilators has triggered the negotiation process. The union submitted its full set of proposals to the conciliator and to the University. Meetings to date have allowed the parties to agree on general provisions of the collective agreement. AGSEM invigilators are negotiating their first collective agreement. They were accredited in April 2010.
McGill is gearing up for negotiations with AGSEM teaching assistants in view of finalizing a collective agreement by September 2011. The current collective agreement expires on June 30th. The University is proposing an interest-based bargaining approach, addressing issues by theme rather than by article wherever possible.
Last year, research associates and research assistants became unionized in two distinct bargaining units under AMURE. Until a first collective agreement is signed, the Quebec Labour Code imposes a freeze on the working conditions of employees included in the bargaining unit. Research associates started paying union dues in January 2011, but no decision has been made about when to start collecting union dues for research assistants. No timeframe has been set to negotiate the collective agreements of both groups.
McGill and three SEU groups representing Trades downtown, Powerhouse downtown, and Trades and Powerhouse Macdonald campus have reached tentative agreements. The next step is to ensure that the content of the agreements is adequately reflected in the wording of the collective agreement, which is valid until May 31st, 2013. All three SEU groups’ previous collective agreements expired on November 30th, 2007, therefore members’ salary increases will be paid retroactively to that time. SEU members agreed to the same percentage of salary increases as MUNACA for the first three years of their agreement.