Author: James Newman

Dear Members, 

Our 30th Anniversary Holiday Party is only 23 days away (November 22nd, 2024). Hundreds have already signed up and the party is shaping up to be an incredible experience! Here are some important updates.

By popular request, we are moving up the time doors open to 18:00! You are welcome to come later if you wish, but this earlier start time will allow time for more people to come and enjoy the party. We have also taken into account the various dietary restrictions members have listed, and will have a large canapé selection that ensures nobody goes hungry.

The enthusiasm for our party has been incredible. Many members have asked about bringing +1’s to the party, unfortunately as so many of our members have signed up, we will not be able to allow members to bring non-MUNACA guests to the party. This is shaping up to be our most well-attended holiday party yet, and we could face issues with venue capacity if we allow all members to bring +1’s. We will be verifying RSVP’s at the door via a prepared list!

Coatcheck, parking passes at the venue(while available), and food are all paid for by MUNACA. Members will be provided 3 drink tickets on entry that may be used for alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages. Additional beverages may be purchased at the bar at the member’s expense(No outside food or alcohol please!) 

If you missed the chance to register, please email vpcomm@munaca.com and we will see if there’s room to register you. There are 52 valuable prizes to win at the event, so please get in touch! 

Hope to see you there!

Join us for our Special General Meeting decide MUNACA’s bargaining priorities on:

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

12:00 – 14:00

Agenda

1. Moment of Silence
2. Land Acknowledgement
3. MUNACA Code of Conduct
4. PSAC Statement on Harassment
5. Introductions:
   1. Administrator
      1. John MacLennan
   2. Negotiations Committee
      1. Mathieu Brulé – PSAC Porte Parole
      2. Thomas Chalmers – President & Chair of Negotiations Committee
      3. Robin Stanford – Vice President Labour Relations
      4. Sherrie Child – Vice President Internal Affairs
      5. Sophie Hough-Martin – Chief Steward
      6. David Roseman – Chief Steward
      7. Khalud Adam – Chief Steward
      8. Dino Dutz – Chief Steward
   3. Negotiations Support Committee Chair
      1. James Newman, Vice President Communications & Mobilisation and Chair of Negotiations Support Committee
6. Presentation & Ratification of Negotiations Priorities
7. Varia
8. Adjournment

To register, please fill out this form, at least twenty-four hours before the meeting begins. Your union membership will be confirmed and the video link will be sent in advance of the meeting.

In Solidarity, 

, The MUNACA Executive Committee and MUNACA Negotiations Committee

*You may ask your supervisor to add an hour to your lunch time, which you will need to make up.

Dear members,

As we are planning our vacations for the upcoming reference year, please keep in mind the following:

As unionised employees, vacation scheduling is not at the whims and discretion of our supervisors. When multiple employees want the same time off and the department cannot accommodate, seniority is to be the deciding factor. It doesn’t go to the supervisor’s favourite, or to the person willing to work unpaid overtime. Seniority is used as an objective criteria to make a fair decision.

In order to have seniority as a consideration in your vacation request, you need to submit your requests for the next reference year (June 1st, 2024 – May 31st, 2025) by April 30th, 2024. They will be approved or denied by May 10th, 2024. This gives us time to address any problems.

Vacation can, of course, be requested after this period, but it will be granted on a first-come, first-serve basis rather than by seniority. It is also subject to operational needs.

In some departments, there may be times when they need everyone present.  This may be due to a special event, a deadline, or another short-term reason. These are called blackout periods. The Collective Agreement specifies that these must be kept to a minimum and must be communicated to the affected employees by March 1st, 2024, so they can be challenged if necessary and taken into consideration when submitting your requests.

If you feel that the blackout periods for your department are unreasonable, if they were not communicated to you by the deadline, or if other restrictions are being applied that are not in the Collective Agreement, contact reception@munaca.com and we can work with you to rectify the problem.

In solidarity,

MUNACA

Dear members, 

In another resounding victory for the labour movement at McGill, the professors of the Faculty of Arts have announced that over 60% of the faculty have signed unionising cards and will be filing for certification this Wednesday as the Association of McGill Professors of the Faculty of Arts (AMPFA)! This makes Arts the third faculty, after Law, and Education, to unionise at our university. We at MUNACA welcome them into our ever-expanding union family and hope that every other faculty at McGill swiftly follows their example. 

Their union intends to cover both tenure-track professors and faculty lecturers at the Faculty of Arts, though the full extent of their certification will be determined by the Labour Tribunal when they file. 

We invite all MUNACA members to attend AMPFA’s press conference and rally announcing their certification on Thursday, April 4th, 2024, at 2:30 PM, on the steps of the Arts Building.  A guest speaker from AGSEM will be present as well, to acknowledge AMPFA’s solidarity with the TA strike. If you are able, please come out and show solidarity with our new union siblings! 

In solidarity,

MUNACA

Dear members,

The Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM) has announced that starting Monday, March 25th,at 7:30 AM the teaching assistants are officially on strike! Pickets begin at the Roddick Gates and the Macdonald Stewart Building and last all day. We invite all MUNACA members able to do so to join them on the lines before work and at lunchtime to show solidarity!

Furthermore, if there are AGSEM Teaching Assistants in your faculty who are on strike, remember that Article 18.02 of the MUNACA collective agreement protects your right to refuse to cross a picket line, with no penalty other than non-payment for the working day.  We encourage all MUNACA members in affected faculties to exercise their Article 18.02 rights according to their conscience. Members can also use their lunch hours, breaks, floater and personal days to join the picket lines.

We stand with AGSEM as they fight for a fair contract! For any questions about how this may affect your workplace, please contact reception@munaca.com.

In Solidarity,

MUNACA

Dear members,

Two of our fellow McGill unions, AGSEM (teaching assistants) and MCLIU (course lecturers), will be holding a rally in support of their bargaining demands in front of the James Administration Building, Wednesday, March 20th, at noon (12:00PM). With AGSEM’s strike vote having passed with an overwhelming majority, it is important that we turn out to support their cause. Your MUNACA officials will be attending in solidarity, so come join us and show McGill what union power looks like! 

In Solidarity,

MUNACA

MUNACA is proud to wish all our members a happy International Women’s Day this year! This holiday, a tradition begun at the turn of the last century by women in the socialist and labour movements, celebrates the fight for womens’ rights and equity around the world, and calls upon us all to join in their further advancement.

At MUNACA, women make up 70% of our membership and provide vital services to the McGill community, from student affairs to finance to lab technicians, and the many other positions we represent. But the struggle for equity at our union and at McGill, as it is for women everywhere, is far from over. 

As MUNACA, we commit to upholding equity and inclusion against all kinds of gender-based systemic barriers. Happy International Women’s Day to all!

February 24, 2024

Dear members, 

On February 15th, 2024, McGill Student Housing and Hospitality Services (SHHS) announced that starting Fall 2024, it would eliminate the Floor Fellow position in McGill residences. This unprecedented decision, impacts a unit of 65 unionized workers under The Association of McGill University Support Employees (AMUSE), and hundreds of students.

As MUNACA, we stand in solidarity with AMUSE against the University’s decision, taken without any consultation, to abolish an entire bargaining unit by eliminating the floor fellows’ role. This move, replacing 65 positions with 45 ‘residence life facilitators,’ not only jeopardizes essential student services but also raises concerns about McGill’s commitment to the well-being of its students. Moreover, as sibling unions we understand that an attack on one of us is a threat to all of us. MUNACA extends its ironclad solidarity to AMUSE floor fellows against McGill’s anti-union actions.

McGill Floor Fellows play a crucial role in the lives of first-year students as primary contact points in residences as students navigate a major transition period in their lives. Over decades, Floor Fellows have enriched the lives of tens of thousands of students, parents, and members of the McGill community. Not only do they create a sense of community and provide work-study support for students, but they ensure the safety and wellbeing of their residents. 

Since the announcement, hundreds of students, parents, and McGill workers have voiced their opposition through a survey released by AMUSE. Their responses show the lasting consequences the abolition of Floor Fellows would have on the McGill community. If you or someone close to you has been positively impacted by a Floor Fellow, we invite you to share your experiences, share AMUSE’s letter with your networks, and contact McGill Student Housing and Hospitality Services to urge them to reconsider.

If you or someone close to you has been positively impacted by a Floor Fellow, we invite you to share your experiences, share AMUSE’s letter with your networks, and contact McGill Student Housing and Hospitality Services to urge them to reconsider.

In solidarity,

MUNACA