(Montreal – February 9, 2024).
The Members of the Association of McGill Professors of Law (AMPL)/Association McGillienne de professeur.e.s de droit (AMPD) will go on an initial, one-day, strike to demonstrate its resolve and its frustration at McGill University’s failure to negotiate a first collective agreement. Rather than bargaining, McGill refuses to set up negotiation sessions, fails to engage in constructive bargaining on issues of clear importance to both sides, and undermines Quebec’s labour laws by refusing to incorporate even its own policies within the collective agreement.
“McGill is putting up roadblock after roadblock to prevent the successful negotiation of a collective agreement,” said AMPL/AMPD President, Evan Fox-Decent. “Even such simple things as incorporating the University’s own policies into the collective agreement seems impossible for them.”
A critical issue for both the University and AMPL/AMPD is recruiting and retaining Black and Indigenous professors, including through acknowledging the extra work they do in mentoring Black and Indigenous students. “Despite claiming to support Black and Indigenous professors,” stated Kirsten Anker, Vice-President of AMPL/AMPD, “they refuse to discuss proposals made by those very same colleagues. They say one thing yet do another.”
Chief negotiator for AMPL/AMPD, Richard Janda says that the solution to the standoff is for the University to meet weekly until the parties reach an agreement: “McGill seems to think that by not showing up a collective agreement will suddenly appear. We at AMPL are willing to do the work of formulating mutually agreeable terms but we can’t do that when we are negotiating with a bunch of empty chairs.”
—30—
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact: Evan Fox-Decent, evanfoxdecent@gmail.com, 514-802-5362.
Click here to download this press release.