Hey AMUSE buds!
August has been an exciting time at AMUSE, with the election of new Board members, new Executive members, and holding a successful Floor Fellow AGM.
I am the newly-elected VP Communications & Outreach, taking over from the wonderful Nathalie, and I’m super pumped to start this role, and make sure that you all know what’s up at AMUSE! Email me, as always, if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or cute videos of miniature animals.
Floor Fellow AGM
On August 23rd, the Floor Fellow AGM took place successfully, electing new Board of Representatives, Bargaining Representatives, and a new VP Floor Fellow, Sadie McInnes. Here are a few words from her!
Hi folks!
Floor Fellows held a successful Annual General Meeting on August 23rd. Executive reports and committee reports were voted on and approved by the membership and we voted in a new team to work for Floor Fellows in the year to come. I am super honoured to have been voted in as the new VP Floor Fellow and look forward to continuing to work towards a fair collective agreement for floor fellows, to push for a response on our case for backpay, and to strengthen communication and mobilisation within our community.
Jodi Litvin and Vithushon Thayalan were voted in as our two new floor fellow delegates to the Board of Representatives, and Alexia Manchon and Sam Kessler were voted in as our new bargaining reps. They have shared a quick message:
“Hey FFs! We want to thank you for putting your faith in us and we’re super excited to be joining this wonderful and enthusiastic group. We’re stoked to work with all of you, to share information and develop unique strategies to gain ground with McGill!”
Looking forward to an amazing year to come!
Sadie McInnes
Newly Elected Executives
Evan, Treasurer
Evan was elected our new Treasurer as Antonietta moves on to other realms of awesome. Here are his answers to some of our questions!
Where do you work? What do you do at AMUSE? I’m a Foor Fellow at Solin hall and the (new) Treasurer at AMUSE.
What labour issue(s) are you most passionate about? Job security is really important to me. It’s distressing to me that folks are really fed this mentally that they should be thankful to have any job at all and that pushing for an improvement in a work situation is being “ungrateful”. People being silenced out of fear of losing their jobs and being in situations that are unsafe is something I hate. Workers being treated as disposable really upsets me. What do you most want to see improved in working conditions at McGill? Specific to my job I wish management would take input or complaints from staff more seriously. We are the workers on the “ground” and our input is important in preserving and forming a good future for McGill residences and for the job position of Floor Fellow itself. Hearing folks that have never worked at your level or even seen with their own eyes what goes on in the job is really frustrating. Which cartoon character was most inspiring to you during your childhood and why? Batman. I wish it wasn’t because he’s a billionaire that beats up the city’s poor and marginalized but alas that’s who I was obsessed with in my youth.
Kai O’Doherty, VP Communications & Outreach
Kai is taking over from the fabulous Nathalie.
Where do you work? What do you do at AMUSE? I work at McGill Residences coordinating Gender, Sexuality and Consent Project at MacDonald Campus, and was previously a Floor Fellow at Solin Hall (2013-14).
What labour issue(s) are you most passionate about? I’m increasingly concerned about the precarity of short-term contract labour, and how difficult this kind of work makes it to feel stable in one’s finances and future. Not knowing if you’ll still have a job in a couple of months can be extremely stressful, and also make it hard for folks to feel they have a say in their working conditions.
What do you most want to see improved in working conditions at McGill? I want McGill employees to feel secure enough in their future employment to be able to confidently, and without high risk, give real input about how they would like their workplace to be improved, and to have those requests listened to!
What animal do you most identify with? Although I’m obsessed with sloths, I think I’m more of a puppy. I’m easily excited, optimistic, energetic and friendly!
Sadie McInnes, VP Floor Fellow
Where do you work? Floor Fellow at Molson Hall
What do you do at AMUSE? I am VP Floor Fellow
What labour issue(s) are you most passionate about? I care about workers having control over their working environments. In the case of Floor Fellows, our workplace is also our home and so being involved in decision making processes is especially crucial. I am also troubled by the fact that Floor Fellows do not receive adequate remuneration and are frequently made to believe that we should be grateful to be employed at all and grateful for the “free” room and board we receive.
What do you most want to see improved in working conditions at McGill?A fair collective agreement between Floor Fellows and McGill!
Which cartoon character was most inspiring to you during your childhood and why? D.W.
#ConsentMcGill Call-out
Interested in making a difference on campus? Sign up to help spread the word and raise awareness about Consent in regards to sexual activity and in our day-to-day lives.
#ConsentMcGill is seeking volunteers* to help launch McGill’s Consent Campaign from
September 28-October 3, 2015 at the downtown campus and Macdonald campus, between 9-5pm with some evening events.
For more information, contact Leela Scott at [email protected]
