Open Letter from the Unions of McGill

Dear McGill Community,

We, the undersigned McGill union representatives, condemn in the strongest possible terms McGill Senior Administration’s recent announcement of layoffs and broader policy of austerity in the face of supposed budget shortfalls. 

McGill seeks to push the consequences of budget shortfalls onto its already overworked staff while seeking to insulate their extremely well-paid Senior Administration. McGill Senior Administration has claimed that they have a budget shortfall of $45 million projected for 2025-26 and that staffing accounts for 80% of overall university expenses. What they fail to mention is that over 17%  of McGill’s salary budget was spent on executive and management staff as of the 2023-24 financial year. In 2013-14, this figure was 9%. If McGill’s executive and managerial salary mass had risen at the same rate as all other job classes at the university, the university would be saving $71 million dollars. 

Initially, McGill Senior Administration said a loss of 350-500 jobs would be necessary. Now they are announcing 99 initial layoffs. Conveniently, 99 is exactly the threshold for the minimum 8 weeks of notice under Quebec law regulating collective dismissal. For the dismissal of 100-299 workers, a notice period of 12 weeks is required; for over 300, a notice period of 16 weeks is required. How can we trust that there will be no further layoffs?

Despite supposed concern for budgetary deficits, the McGill University Senior Administration decided to hire NousCubane, a group of consultants associated with commencing layoffs at other universities in Canada. NousCubane was paid $372,500 by McGill Senior Administration to send surveys to all full-time employees. McGill Senior Administration did this « consultation” without the unions, before announcing the cuts at the February 7th town hall. In doing so, the unions contend that McGill Administration infringed on Article 12 of the Quebec Labour Code which states that “No employer, or person acting for an employer or an association of employers, shall in any manner seek to dominate, hinder or finance the formation or the activities of any association of employees, or to participate therein.” This clear mismanagement of funds not only targets the workers at McGill, but the larger McGill community who will be directly harmed by cuts to services and departments.

Why does McGill insist that a $45 million shortfall requires cutting up to 500 staff? Are McGill’s executives and managers taking any salary cuts to do their part in keeping the university solvent? Are they reviewing their own positions and compensation packages with the same scrutiny they offer to the rest of us?  Why do they judge themselves more necessary than the employees doing the on-the-ground work vital to the continued operations of our university? McGill’s global profile and prestige does not come from its executives. It comes from the achievements of workers, students, and alumni. 

We call on McGill’s Senior Administration to acknowledge their role in McGill’s current budgetary crisis and take action accordingly. We call for a moratorium on job cuts until there is a freeze and cut on executive salaries.

Signed by:

MUNACA Executive Committee

AMUSE Executive Committee

AGSEM Executive Committee

AMURE Executive Committee

SEU Executive Committee

References & Sources

https://www.datawrapper.de/_/rJ9Hy

Salary mass by job class and year 2013-2023.xlsx

McGill Annual Reports to National Assembly