Dear members of AMUSE,
The following are updates for this week:
- Bargaining Updates: We’re almost there! (i.e. economic demands)
- Free Pizza: Discuss bargaining demands with the bargaining team!
- Contact us!
1. Bargaining Updates
We are at the defining moments in Collective Bargaining.
Last Tuesday, November 22, both parties presented their economic demands. This was after around seven months of bargaining on non-economic issues, which are the items you’ve read about in previous bargaining updates. It took this long because we had to build a collective agreement from scratch and so we had to go through minute details of language and also take time to do research on the various issues under discussion.
Our economic demands include wage parity for AMUSE members who are doing replacement work for MUNACA members, general increase of wages for non-replacement, casual work (for those working at libraries, bookstore and fitness center), and compensation for benefits, holidays and vacation that accrues as a percentage on each pay check. McGill has proposed a classification of casual work and wages into three categories based on the complexity of work. We will work with their classification and ours and negotiate a fair agreement.
We will do a bargaining blitz of three days on December 5, 6, and 7. By then we hope to get a tentative deal. We will also discuss during those days the outstanding non-economic issues such as identification card, written contracts, and notice of termination.
We have also obtained another one of our priority demands, paid sick leaves. This will apply to workers with full-time contracts of at least six months. The remaining priority demands that we have not yet discussed are fair wage increases and overtime.
So far then, both parties have reached an agreement in principle on the following issues:
- the scope and nature of the bargaining unit (who and what is a casual worker?),
- union recognition, information sharing, union dues,
- the relationship between McGill and AMUSE,
- anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies,
- definitions of terms,
- the rights of management,
- the rights of union, such as office space,
- “liberation” from work of union members in order to do union work,
- grievance resolution procedures,
- setting up a Labour Relations Committee to facilitate communication between Management and the Union,
- arbitration,
- employee files,
- health and safety,
- priority rehiring,
- probationary period,
- sick leaves,
- parental and social leaves
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected]
In Solidarity,
Fariduddin Attar Rifai
Dave Howden
Sheehan Moore
2. Free Pizza: Discuss bargaining demands with the AMUSE bargaining team!
Our Collective Bargaining is getting to its final and most important phase—economic demands. We’d like to invite all members of AMUSE for a gathering to talk about some of the tentative agreements that have been made on the non-economic demands, and also to discuss both AMUSE and McGill’s economic proposals. We’d also like to know what you think about the bargaining process so far. We know that some of the update points can be rather abstract and do not really show how the issues will affect working conditions on the ground, so this is a good chance to go over them in detail.
Remember, whatever agreement we reach in the next few months will determine the working conditions of casual workers over the next few years. MUNACA is on strike over their negotiations for a fair contract; AGSEM has just recently approved their tentative agreement with McGill. Now it’s AMUSE’s turn. We need to get this right, so get informed and keep us in check!
So again,
Free Pizza (all dietary preferences accommodated!)
Gerts Bar
Next Tuesday (November 29, 2011)
4 PM
Pizza Celebration on Facebook!
See you there,
Bargaining Team
Sheehan Moore
Dave Howden
Fariduddin Attar Rifai
First Time Hearing from AMUSE? Contact us!
Is this the first time you’ve received a newsletter from AMUSE? We’re still working on our new website, but you can visit our temporary blog
Please contact us for further information. We are happy to answer any questions and to hear about any concerns that you may have!
Association of McGill University Support Employees - Public Service Alliance of Canada
3483 Peel Street, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 1W7
tel: 514-398-8896 , fax: 514-398-6892, cell: 514-589-6450
For general questions and comments: [email protected]
For questions about your rights or to file a grievance: [email protected]
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