(Montreal – April 11, 2024).
Due to McGill University’s failure to negotiate in good faith toward a first collective agreement, a supermajority of members of the Association of McGill Professors of Law (AMPL)/Association McGillienne de professeur.e.s de droit (AMPD) voted in favour of an unlimited strike starting on April 24, 2024 unless the University agrees to a collective agreement in principle by midnight on April 23, 2024.
“All it would take for McGill and AMPL to arrive at a collective agreement is two or three days of focused collective bargaining,” AMPL President, Evan Fox-Decent, stated. “The fact is, McGill is not even willing to set dates for negotiation to avoid a strike,” noted Fox-Decent.
Over three quarters of members voted between April 9 and today for an unlimited strike if an agreement in principle is not reached by April 23, 2024. “Members expressed their deep frustration with McGill for failing to sit down to negotiate at any reasonable pace,” noted Chief Negotiator, Richard Janda. “McGill has a legal obligation to show up and bargain in good faith. Failure to do so is now putting its students’ graduation at risk,” he concluded.
The unlimited strike is set to begin automatically on April 24, 2024 unless a tentative deal is reached. AMPL has proposed a strike protocol to protect students as much as possible from the consequences of the University’s inaction. “We have proposed measures to ensure the continuity of student exams and of payment to student researchers,” stated Kirsten Anker, AMPL Vice-President. “It is now up to the University to demonstrate that it cares about students by negotiating to avoid the strike,” she continued.
Both of McGill’s other professorial unions, AMPE and AMPFA, the other McGill unions, as well as CAUT and FQPPU, the national and Quebec associations of university unions, have volunteered to turn up in numbers to support AMPL/AMPD’s strike.
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For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact: Evan Fox-Decent, evanfoxdecent@gmail.com, 514-802-5362.
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