(le français suit)
Hello friends,
Well we’ve been having a splendidly summery time at AMUSE lately, and I hope you have been having the same. It hasn’t been all re-lax though, as there’s plenty of exciting changes to report, and some new union friends to say hello to!
AMUSE on the Airwaves!
Mondays 11:00am-11:30am, AMUSE is on CKUT’s morning show “All Things McGill.” This Monday we interviewed two floor fellows on the show, and you can check out what they had to say about their work, life, and labour right here.
Tune in next Monday morning for more labour news and more grooovy music.
Executive Changes
We sadly say goodbye to a few Executives who are moving on from AMUSE and say hello to their interim replacements!
President
Amber Gross, who has been involved with AMUSE since its inception, and who has been our formidable President over the last year, will be stepping away, and our past Internal Affairs Officer, Molly Swain, will be taking her place in the interim. She was officially voted into the role by our Board of Representatives meeting last month. Here is her address:
Hi everyone,
My name is Molly Swain and I am taking over from Amber Gross as president of AMUSE! I’m really excited to have the opportunity to continue to work for y’all over the next few months as we continue bargaining our two Collective Agreements and through our merger with MUNACA! I have been a member of AMUSE since 2010, and have been actively involved since early 2012- first as a Steward and Delegate on the Board of Representatives, then as the Internal Affairs Officer.
I’m also excited to welcome two new people to the AMUSE team, Heather Holdsworth, our new Internal Affairs Officer, and Shaina Agbayani our new Outreach Coordinator! They’ll be working hard keeping the office running, mobilizing for the fall, and working to make sure our labour rights are being respected!
Please don’t hesitate to call, email, or pop by the office with any questions or concerns you might have, or if you just want to say hi! You can reach me at [email protected], 514-282-9555, or check our website for other ways to get in touch! My summer office hours are Wednesdays from 12-2pm if you want to stop by to chat, or feel free to drop me a line to pick a time that works for you!
In solidarity, Molly
Internal Affairs
This summer we also welcomed two more new faces to our Executive: Heather and Sara. The BoR voted in Heather Holdsworth to take over the Internal Affairs position, and she is super excited about it. Here’s her address:
I am incredibly excited to be the new Internal Affairs Officer at AMUSE, filling Molly Swain’s (our new President) fabulous shoes. My introduction to AMUSE was through working as a floor fellow last year and getting involved in organizing with floor fellows’ bargaining process as well as joining AMUSE’s Grievance Committee which I currently chair. I am passionate about people feeing safe and supported in their workplace, from job security to wellbeing in mental and physical health. I am looking forward to learning and organizing towards towards that in this new position! My office hours during the summer are from 17h00-19h00, Tuesday evenings, please swing by or contact with any questions.
-Heather
VP Floor Fellows
Earlier this summer, we also had a new Floor Fellow VP join our executive team. Meet Sara Sebti, and read what she had to say in our short interview below:
1) Where do you work? I currently work at QPIRG-McGill & I Floor Fellowed in McGill residences this past year.
2) What do you do at AMUSE? Floor Fellow Interim Vice President & one of the Collective Bargaining Representatives for Unit B
3) What labour issues are you most passionate about? Youth labour issues concerning precarious working conditions & the lack/absence of University resources to support workers’ physical, emotional, mental, and psychological needs.
4) What do you most want to see improve in working conditions at McGill? Full-time employment and access to employee benefits. Also, simply paying workers (*Floor Fellows have been working without pay for over 30 years).
5) Which cartoon character had the biggest influence on you as a child and why? The Brain in Pinky and the Brain. Simply because no other furry rat, who has ambitions for world domination, describes my desires more accurately.
Note that these positions are all only filled in the interim, as our new Executive will be voted on at the next SGM, happening this Fall.
Stewards Hotline
Although our three new Execs and everyone else on the Exec team is always super happy to hear from you, you can also feel free to contact another union rep, by sending an email to our new Stewards Hotline: [email protected]. Stewards are those members sitting on the Board of Representatives, those involved with committees, and those who have received specialized training on our collective agreement and workers’ rights. They are happy to answer questions and even come meet you at your workplace. Check out our stewards profiles to find someone near you!
Work Study Ice Cream Day
On July 23rd, we will be celebrating the new-found humidity by serving ice cream to members and chatting about Work Study. If you have been, will be or are a W/S super student, or if you just love ice cream, make sure to stop by the SSMU building, 3pm - 5pm on the 23rd.
Rally for Noé, Justice for Migrant Travellers
Sunday from 2pm to 5pm
Organized by Solidarity City
