Negotiations 2020-22

2022-02-28 Negotiations Bulletin #50

Dear Members,
We hope this bulletin finds you safe and well as we head into reading week. Many of you are looking forward to some much-deserved time off with your families!
Since last we updated you on the state of our negotiations/conciliation, we have met with the Employer and Conciliator several times. We continued exploring ways to come to an acceptable agreement. Most of our non-monetary items have been dealt with as we made significant movement in the hopes that this would encourage the administration to reevaluate their position on our primary demand – salaries. The Employer had some interesting suggestions this week, which your negotiations team thought were worth exploring more seriously, so the university will be depositing a new salary proposal when next we meet.
We need the strong support of the membership to encourage the Administration to treat us, their employees, with respect and to ensure that we are fairly compensated for what we do.
Please continue to wear your MUNACA regalia (t-shirts, lanyards, buttons, bracelets), use the MUNACA backgrounds on video calls, and please sign the photo petition. It is important that we show the employer our collective determination to achieve a fair collective agreement.
3 Immediate actions that you can do to help:
– Sign the photo petition. You can post an avatar, or an image of yourself wearing a mask if you like!
– Send us your alternative email and/or cell phone number.
– Contact your Steward for more info about our action plan.

2022-02-10 Negotiations Bulletin #49

Dear Members,
We hope this bulletin finds everyone safe and well.
Over the last few weeks, we have had our first two meetings with the conciliator, Hervé Leblay, and the Administration’s representatives.
The Conciliator met first with both sides on Thursday morning (January 27th). He gave us a rundown of his experience and how he intends to proceed. The conciliator’s primary function is to bring both parties together. M. LeBlay will meet separately with both parties to discuss and understand the respective positions and concerns in order to find areas of potential agreement.
The Employer presented us with a revised wage proposal that contained little more than minor changes from their previous offer, rather than respond in kind, we proposed alternative ways to try to move our talks on salaries forward. We hope that this ‘out of the box’ proposal will motivate McGill to come back to the table with more than just minor changes to their wage offers, however, some of the employer’s comments do not leave us optimistic.
Your Negotiations Committee came away with a favourable impression of the conciliator, unlike the impression of the Administration’s latest counter-offer of 0.25% wage increase for the last 2 years.
The Employer made it abundantly clear that they have very little room to move off their position. So we are at the stage where what the membership does going forward will determine the outcome of our talks. To this end, please contact your Steward, or the MUNACA office on what you can do to get the talks moving forward – and please stay tuned for more bulletins!

MUNACA/McGill Negotiations Nearing an Impasse

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
[MONTREAL] McGill University takes great pride in being one of Montreal’s top employers, however, that has not translated with regards to its treatment of its employees.
McGill University Non-Academic Certified Association (MUNACA), which represents nearly 2000 support staff employees, has been in contract talks with McGill’s Administration since September 2020. Our previous contract expired November 30th, 2018. Over the past 15 months, we have met with the Employer 48 times.
Recently, MUNACA was informed by the Employer that their last offer on salaries is close to being final, and that they have little room for movement. This offer is significantly below the cost of living, and would mean that our members would be losing money for the duration of the contract. The Employer is also refusing to pay retroactivity to those members who have left McGill, or who have retired.
Members of MUNACA are asking the McGill University Administration to come to the table with a wage offer that not only accounts for the skyrocketing cost of living, but that also recognizes the fact that the non-academic staff have been essential to keeping the University in operation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This administration is proposing salaries well below the cost of living despite the fact that the Principal’s remuneration has risen to over $860,000 and their multi-billion dollar endowment has risen 45% since the pandemic.” says Thomas Chalmers, MUNACA President*.
It is time that the University Administration realises that its status as “one of Montreal’s top employers” is not the reality for many of its employees. MUNACA employees have worked extremely hard to keep McGill functioning. All we are asking for is to be treated with respect and to have a fair contract.

2021-12-13 Negotiations Bulletin #48

Dear Members,
On Thursday December 9th, we sat down at the negotiations table with McGill’s representatives again, for the 48th time to try to get closer to a fair and reasonable collective agreement.
The negotiation session did not last long. We went over the remaining monetary-related clauses in the hopes that there were places where we could agree. Given that at our last session, the employer did not make an offer on wages, we informed them that we were not prepared to lower our counter-proposal on wages, until they provide such an offer, we maintain our proposal that includes:
– Automatic step increases of 2.97%
– Lump sums for members at the top of their scale and those red-circled
– Annual economic increases that took into consideration the cost of living
– Retroactivity for all those that have left since the expiry of our CA in November 2018.
The Employer’s representatives took about half an hour to consider their position. When they returned to the table, they informed us that we still were far apart after all this time and indicated that they were disappointed with our position.
We informed them that we were not prepared to recommend to our members that they accept an offer well below the cost of living, and one that did not address our economic concerns. Again, they reiterated their ‘disappointment’ and informed us that they would consider asking for conciliation.
Frankly, we were shocked at their disingenuous display of disappointment, given that MUNACA members were the ones to not receive a counter offer!
Several sessions back the Employer informed us that their mandate was a few years old and that perhaps it needed to be updated. We were expecting that they would go back and get a new one. They have not!! Are they serious about negotiating a fair and reasonable Collective Agreement?
Please contact your Steward for our action plan.
Please sign the photo petition.
And Please send your alternative email to reception@munaca.com

2021-12-10 Negotiations Bulletin #47

Dear Members,
We would like to thank all the members who joined us at the Info Session on Wednesday, December 8th. We really appreciate meeting with you and exchanging views and hearing your suggestions. As you know, we are at a crossroads in negotiations and as a result, we need to find ways to communicate our dissatisfaction with the university’s administration’s latest offer. Please contact your Steward, or the MUNACA office, for practical actions you can take to send a message to the Administration. Below we have explained more in-depth the importance of a reasonable salary increase.

Understanding Economic Increases and Inflation

The cost of living is going up. Gas is up 40% over last year. The price of available apartments has risen 30% since pre-pandemic. A trip to the grocery store costs more than ever before. You don’t have to follow the business reports or track prices closely to know that the cost of everyday living is getting more expensive.The most common measure of this inflation is the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Calculated by Statistics Canada. It takes a standard selection of goods and services and tracks how their price changes over time. It is represented as a percentage change from the previous year. Currently, the CPI is around 5%. This means that, on average, the cost of everything we buy is five percent higher than the same items at this time last year.In order to mitigate this, our pay needs to rise at a similar rate to inflation. This is why we have economic increases built into our contract. Negotiated with each new Collective Agreement, the economic increases raise the entire salary scale. The goal of the economic increase is to make sure our purchasing power – our real wages – are maintained when compared to inflationSince the last economic increase in June 2018, we know exactly how much inflation has been:In June 2019, the CPI for the Montreal area was 2.2%.
The employer’s current proposal for this year is 1.5%.In June 2020, the CPI for the Montreal area was 0.9%, largely due to the economic slowdown and historic low of energy prices.
The employer’s current proposal for this year is 1.5%.In June of 2021, the CPI for the Montreal area was 3.8%.
The employer’s current proposal for this year is 1.5%.Since June 2021, the cost of living has continued to rise and looks on track to be around 5% for 2022.
The employer’s current proposal for this year is 1.5%.Agreeing to these increases now would guarantee our members a 5-6% reduction in real wages and purchasing power into our Collective Agreement.It is frustrating not to have had an economic increase since June 2018. Our pocketbooks are suffering because of it. But the silver lining is that it gives us a clear-eyed view of our economic situation. We don’t have to guess how the cost of living might change. We know precisely how much our lives are costing. And we know our worth.

Understanding the Value of Step Increases

In addition to the economic or cost-of-living increases discussed above, the Collective Agreement also provides for step increases. As we learn our job, we become better, faster, and more productive at it. We don’t have to look up information every time we need it. We know who to call to directly solve the issue we’re facing. Step increases are intended to recognize the value of this on-the-job learning and experience.Currently, there are twelve steps, each 2.97% higher than the previous one. Beginning at the minimum of our payscale, we progress one step each year until reaching the maximum. This maximum is considered the full value of the job. Once at the top, we remain there until we change positions.Despite being common-place in the university sector, step increases for MUNACA members didn’t always exist – they were the main issue during the 2011 strike. Initially, it could take 37 years for someone to reach their salary maximum. After more than 90 days on the picket line, we won a Collective Agreement that resulted in a twelve-step scale.For our M members who recently joined MUNACA, step increases are a new framework for compensation. The current M framework encourages one to view the economic increase and the merit increase as a combined total. This hides the fact that the economic increases are not keeping up with inflation.
In MUNACA, we reach the top of our scales. Approximately one third of members are currently at the salary maximums and no longer receive the step increases. We need to understand these increases separately to ensure that we are defending the standard of living of all members. The Employer adding step increases with their proposed salary increases is disingenuous, and deliberately confusing.The current employer offer proposes step increases for all, but it reduces the step from 2.97% to 1.97%. For new hires, this is off-set by a higher starting rate. But for everyone who is only part-way up their scale, the effect of this change is smaller annual increases. We, too, believe that the starting rates need to rise to bring us more in line with pay rates in the University sector, but this cannot be at the cost of devaluing our experience.

Again, it is vitally important that we all get involved in supporting the demands that we as a membership clearly defined in our January 2020 Bargaining Priorities Survey, and send a strong message to the Employer that we will only accept a reasonable and fair Collective Agreement

2021-11-30 Negotiations Bulletin #46

Dear Members,
We hope you are safe and well and are acclimatizing to our winter weather. We met with the employer on the 24th. We deposited a comprehensive proposal on the monetary-related outstanding clauses. We made significant movement on these clauses in order to get closer to an agreement and to clear the way for serious discussions on wages. We also made a counter-proposal on wages which we had hoped would encourage the employer to submit a new proposal on wages which took into consideration our priorities.
After reviewing our counter-proposal, the Employer informed us that they did not see any reason to respond with a counter-proposal of their own. We were informed that the Employer has very little room to move and that we are close to an impasse. In effect, what the employer is saying is that they want their employees to accept a wage proposal that will keep them behind the cost of living for years 3 through 5.
This is how a so-called ‘one of Montreal’s top employers’ treats their employees who have kept the institution afloat during a pandemic. This callous disregard for the staff is unconscionable. It is a slap in the face!

Economic increase:
Y1 – 1.50%
Y2 – 1.50%
Y3 – 1.50%
Y4 – 1.50%
Y5 – 1.50%

Lump Sum for those at the top of the scale:
Y3 – $750.00
Y4 – $750.00
Y5 – $750.00

The Employer has increased their wage proposal in years 1 and 2 from 1.25 to 1.5, and have added another year (year 3) of maintaining the 2.97 step increase (which has already been paid this past June). They have accepted status-quo on automatic step progression, and returned to status-quo on temporary MUNACA replacements being paid on the MUNACA scale after one month instead of six months.
The University maintains their position on retroactivity. As you know, many retirees are counting on the retro. They are still conflating the 2 types of salary increases; one for the cost of living, the other the step increase which is linked with the experience of the job, until you reach your maximum or the true value of the position. This addition of economic and step increases is disingenuous; those at the top of their scale do not get a step increase and therefore, going forward, will be well below the cost of living.
These offers confirm that the Administration does not think very highly of its employees. We are considered cogs in a wheel that can be easily replaced. However, we know that we have kept this institution afloat along with other university employees during very difficult times. It is time for them to show us some respect and consideration!!
Please stay tuned for emails and bulletins on ways you can use to support your demands.
So that your comments may be included in future communiques to the employer, we ask that they be forwarded to the MUNACA office. Your identity will remain confidential. Please bear in mind that we may need to edit your comments for content. This is your opportunity to inform the Administration of your frustration with their offer and the disrespect they have shown us. It is now time to show the Employer how serious we are in support of our demands.

2021-11-23 Negotiations Bulletin #45

Dear Members,
We hope you are safe and well. We met again for the 45th time, far too long but we will persist until we get a satisfactory agreement!
Thank you to all the members that wore MUNACA colours and regalia. We ask that we do so again this Wednesday November 24th.
We exchanged counter-proposals on monetary related clauses and there was some small movement but certainly not sufficient.
The Employer did move slightly, very slightly on monetary issues but their offer remained within the range of completely unacceptable to insulting. They suggested we be more positive about their offer then proposed the following. What is there to be positive about!

Economic increase:
Y1 – 1.50%
Y2 – 1.50%
Y3 – 1.50%
Y4 – 1.50%
Y5 – 1.50%

Lump Sum for those at the top of the scale:
Y3 – $750.00
Y4 – $750.00
Y5 – $750.00

The Employer has increased their wage proposal in years 1 and 2 from 1.25 to 1.5 and have added another year (year 3) of maintaining the 2.97 step increase (which has already been paid this past June). They have also added a little bit more to the lumps sums. However, they still maintain their position on automatic step increases i.e no while the contract has expired which means no recognition for experience and obliging these step increases to be negotiated retroactively.
Also, no retroactivity for those that have left the University. As you know many retirees are counting on the retro. They are still conflating the 2 types of salary increases; one for the cost of living the other the step increase which is paid for experience until you reach your maximum or the true value of the position. This addition of economic and step increases is disingenuous; those at the top of their scale do not get an step increase and therefore going forward will be well below the cost of living.
We all are aware that the Administration does not think very highly of their employees. We are considered cogs in a wheel that can be easily replaced. However, we know that we have kept this institution afloat along with other employees during very difficult times. It is time for them to show us some respect and consideration!!
If you do not have a button or lanyard please contact your Steward or the office at reception@munaca.com or call 514-398-6565.
For future bulletins or open letters we ask you to send your comments to the office. Your identity will remain confidential and please bear in mind we may need to edit them for content. This is your opportunity to inform the Administration of your frustration with their offer and the disrespect they have shown us.
It is now time to show the Employer how serious we are in support of our demands.
TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER!!
Your Demands need your support. We will only reach a successful agreement by acting together! Use these images to show support for your negotiations priorities and the MUNACA bargaining team by including these as your profile images, in your email signatures, and as your video conferencing backgrounds. Stay tuned as we will be holding more info sessions in the near future.

2021-11-16 Negotiations Bulletin #44

Dear Members,

We hope you are safe and well.

We did not meet with the Employer last week. We will be at the table this Thursday the 18th. We ask you, the membership, to show your support for our demands on Thursday by wearing purple or green and/or MUNACA buttons or lanyards as a sign that you want a fair and reasonable Collective Agreement. If you do not have a button or lanyard please contact your Steward or the office at reception@munaca.com or call 514-398-6565.

For future bulletins or open letters we ask you to send your comments to the office. Your identity will remain confidential and please bear in mind we may need to edit them for content. This is your opportunity to inform the Administration of your frustration with their offer and the disrespect they have shown us.

It is now time to show the Employer how serious we are in support of our demands.

2021-11-09 Negotiations Bulletin #43

Dear Members,

We hope you have had a good weekend and are safe and well. As you are aware we submitted a letter to the Principal on November 2nd decrying the state of the negotiations and would like to thank those of you that were able to join us in front of the James Administration building.

Your Negotiations Committee met again on Thursday November 4th with McGill’s representatives in pursuit of a fair and reasonable collective agreement. There was some small movement on the part of the Employer on the monetary related clauses, however, significant movement is still required if we are to avoid an impasse.

We deposited a comprehensive counter-proposal on the remaining monetary related articles. Also, we informed the employer that their monetary offer was well below what is needed for a settlement. We confirmed with them our wage priorities and that our counter-proposal on the monetary related outstanding articles was not final, however, it was close. We informed them that we need to see significant movement on their part regarding wages and the remaining articles.

It is now time to show the employer how serious we are in support of our demands.

2021-10-21 Negotiations Bulletin #42

Dear Members,
We hope that you are safe and well and had a great Halloween weekend. We did not meet with the Employer this week. We will resume our task of negotiating a new fair collective agreement on Thursday November 4th. In the meantime, we would like to share some of your recent feedback concerning the latest Employer wage offer:

“Keep your lump sum McGill for people at their ceilings. Give the staff at their ceiling increases from year 1 not year 3. What kind of a deal is that? It’s bad enough we don’t get step increases every year like others do, you want to take away our cost of living as well. That is UNACCEPTABLE. Just like you we have bills to pay and our yearly salaries are nowhere close to yours. Stop throwing away your money by hiring Directors, Assistant Directors etc where they are not needed and put your money where it really counts. Give it to the staff that makes this university run the way it does. Some people have small children and by doing this you are taking away food from these children’s mouths and perhaps even a comfortable home to live in. You give with one hand and take with the other. Shame on you McGill! Times are hard for everyone and you don’t seem to care at all. You are the first to always advertise where McGill ranks compared to other universities but you have no respect for the staff that helps make that happen. Keep your offer!”

“As a MUNACA support staff employee at the top of my salary scale who has gone without a raise now for 3 years because we don’t have a contract, they can stick their offer. I apologize to MUNACA for my rudeness but that is how I feel.”

“Does McGill not realize the cost of living is more than 1.5%. The increase in gas prices is a reality and Hydro has promised a 2.6% increase in 2022. What about increases in food prices and no affordable housing in the city. We are getting poorer as the years go by. Why are MUNACA employees not worth a decent increase? They expect us to do more and more work but without a fair increase. Morale is so low these days. (…) I realize MUNACA is trying to get us a decent CA, but seeing how McGill is acting is extremely disappointing.”

“Why don’t you contact the news reporters and buy pages in newspapers / online web ads. Give interviews on TV and on every platform possible – French and English. Publicize their ridiculous offers, show the world how cheap and nasty they are. Confront the true reality against their auto propaganda reputation. You/we need to be way more combative.”

“It’s terrible the way the University treats MUNACA members, we are not valued at all and we work so hard.”

“This is an employees’ market …. These salaries are at least 30% lower than industry standards… What will you do to keep good McGill employees? 1.5% equals about $15,00 a pay for most. I don’t think this is fair.”

“MUNACA needs to fight for retroactivity for employees who have left or retired. I know colleagues who delayed their retirement to help the university during the pandemic and hiring freeze. They should not be punished for doing so.”

“I don’t expect that McGill will give us COVID-19 pay but I wish they had at least said thank you for our working on campus when everyone else was safe at home.”

“I have been reading your negotiations updates and cannot believe what the University thinks is fair. It’s a slap in the face! Raising starting salaries by reducing existing members’ scale? Wow, unbelievable. The university can continue struggling with a staff shortage for all I care. It will reflect poorly on their image when students have minimal service and academics and researchers don’t have the support they need. (…) Members can prioritize their tasks during the day. What’s not essential can wait.”

It is clear from this sampling of comments that the membership is not prepared to accept less than they are worth, and wish for their negotiating team to encourage the Employer to move towards a satisfactory agreement. This will take a strong showing of support for our demands by all of us. To that end, please stay tuned for news from our Negotiations Support/Mobilisation Committee on how to accomplish this. In the meantime, should you have questions, or any Mobilisation ideas of your own, please contact your local Steward or Debra Yee, VP Communications and Mobilisation

2021-10-14 Negotiations Bulletin #41

Dear Members,
We hope that everyone had a good weekend and are safe and well. We met with the Employer on Thursday. Here is a summary of their second wage offer.

The University is offering:
– June 1, 2019 – 1.25% cost of living increases
– June 1, 2020 – 1.25% cost of living increases
– June 1, 2021 – 1.5% cost of living increases
– June 1, 2022 – 1.5% cost of living increases
– June 1, 2023 – 1.5% cost of living increases

Salary Minimums / Maximums:
The University is proposing increases to the starting salaries for our lowest paid members, but hopes to offset this by lowering the step increases across the board by 1%, and lowering the maximum of the salary scales. They want to be able to offer competitive salaries to attract employees to the university, however, they ask their present employees, who have been around for many years, to subsidize this. This is their way of bringing McGill pay up to similar levels with the rest of the University sector.

Retroactivity:
They are not offering retroactivity to those employees who have left, or retired, since the expiry of our previous Collective Agreement in 2018. This would negatively impact members at the end of their careers, some who delayed retirement through a pandemic and who were working for McGill, and therefore deserving of those salary increases. This is likely unusual and unfair to those who did the work and are underpaid.

Slotting:
Using the figures in their proposed new salary grid, slotting of members into a new step would mean:
35% of our membership would make $1000 more/yr ($38.31/pay, before taxes)
27% of our membership would make $500-$1000 more/yr ($19.16 – $38.31/pay, before taxes)
32% of our membership would make $100-500 more/yr ($3.83 – $19.16/ pay, before taxes)

Top of Salary Scale:
Approximately 25% of our membership, who are the top of their scale, would receive just the proposed 1.5% (years 2021, 22 & 23) cost of living increase This rate is presently in the neighbourhood of 4%. To compensate for this disparity between the new wage scales and the cost of living, the University is offering a one-time $500 lump sum payment to this group of employees. This pitiful offer does not approach projected inflation.

COVID Pay:
Unlike other universities in Quebec, McGill is offering zero compensation for members who have worked on-site throughout the pandemic.

Replacement Employees:
The University wants to increase the number of months a replacement employee is in a position before getting paid the appropriate rate for that position. This means paying some employees less for performing the same duties as the employee on leave from that same position.

2021-10-14 Negotiations Bulletin #40

Dear Members,
We hope that everyone had a good weekend and that you were able to spend a bit of outdoor time enjoying the Fall colours.
We met with the Employer on Thursday October 14th. The Employer made some counter-proposals on the following articles:
– Article 5 – Scope of Application
5.04 The Employer is unwilling to place a time limit on the use of employees(outside of the bargaining unit) as a result of volume of work, or a temporary lack of personnel. They are also balking at limits being placed on casuals performing our duties during emergencies due to a lack of personnel. Our position is that these cases need a time limit, ex. Emergencies should not last many months.
– Article 8 – Definitions
8.18 (Appendix 11) definition of soft funds the employer has accepted the status quo. This move diminishes their attack on our employment security rights.
– Article 23 – Salary Administration
23.04-23.10 Rematch process. The parties are close to an agreement.
Article 28 – VACATIONS
28.09 Our demand is for 5 vacation days to be taken as half days should the employee make the request. The Employer refuses this and also is not prepared to provide a valid reason for refusing the request.

After discussing the above we deposited a counter-proposal on wages.
There are significant differences between the parties, however, in our counter-proposal we took into consideration the Employers concerns and feel that our offer can form the basis of an agreement. However, the major issues are the percentage of wage increase. The Employer is offering in year 1 & 2 – 1%, years 3 and 4 – 1.25% and year 5 – 1.5%. The percentage of the step increases, the employer is offering 1.97 as opposed to the existing rate of 2.97%. The Employer has recognised that the starting rate of our pay scales are lower, in general, to the equivalent positions elsewhere in the University sector. We have known for years that our starting salaries are lower than those in other Quebec Universities. To resolve this the Employer is offering to have us pay for this correction by reducing the percentage of step increases and lowering the maximum of the payscales.

2021-10-12 Negotiations Bulletin #39

Dear Members,
We hope that everyone had a great long weekend and that this bulletin finds you all safe and well..
We met with the Employer on Thursday October 7th. There was a shift this week as the employer took a more forthcoming approach when it came to explaining their positions. This was helpful. Unfortunately, this improved communication failed to bring us closer together on major issues. We are still far apart on the following;
– Employment Security,
– Job Postings and Selection of Personnel,
– the use of Casuals
– and the ability of those members whose contracts have expired to apply for a time as internal candidates.
– and salaries.
When we meet on the 14th, we are hoping to deposit a counter-proposal on wages.
For those of you wondering when the new collective agreement will be signed… it is difficult to predict at any time. Our sole purpose is to obtain a collective agreement that is better than the last but what is true is the stronger the resolve our the membership shows for their demands the sooner a contract is signed. You will be contacted shortly by our Negotiations Support Team with ways you can help in supporting your demands.

2021-10-04 Negotiations Bulletin #38

Dear Members,
Hello again, we hope you are all keeping well and are safe.
We met with the Employer on Tuesday September 28th and it was more of the same, trying to extract information from the Employer on the remaining monetary-related Articles and Clauses is frustrating. We are making much slower progress than we would like, which is due to the lack of movement on the part of the university’s negotiations team. While a few minor changes were made during the course of the day, we remain considerably far apart on important issues such as:
– Employment Security
– Job Postings and Selection of Personnel
– Use of Casuals
– and the ability of those members whose contracts have expired to apply for a time as internal candidates

For the most part the answers to our questions are received with, no, we have no appetite, workday can’t do this, no mandate for this, or we’ll get back to you!
We did, however, respond to the Employers wage offer by stating the principles we expect to be included in any wage proposal on their part.
In no particular order:
– Economic increases that respond to the cost of living and not 1 – 1.5% as offered,
– Maintain step increases of 2.97 not 1.97% as offered,
– Lump sum payments for members at the top of the scale and those who are red-circled
– no reduction of the salary scale maximums for M’s and our lowest paid members
– maintaining automatic salary step increases when the contract has expired, not negotiated retroactively

2021-09-20 Negotiations Bulletin #37

Dear Members,
We met with the Employer on Thursday the 16th and exchanged positions on many monetary related clauses, however, the Employer made only a few positive/minor changes in their positions. There were some agreements and some movement made in the following;

Article 7 – GENERAL PROVISIONS
Article 9 – UNION ACTIVITIES
Article 20 – HOURS OF WORK
Article 31 – PARENTAL LEAVES we are very close to an agreement on Maternity, Paternity and Adoption Leaves.

There are still significant differences between MUNACA and the University when it comes to Job Postings and the selection of Personnel, the rights and use of Casual Employees, Tuition Waivers and they have yet to offer us anything on early retirement leave. Our demand on this is equivalent to those in other Universities and yet the Administration has no appetite to offer its employees the chance to gradually prepare to retire. This is another example of the discrepancy between McGill and other employers in the University sector.
To get the Employer to move from their positions and towards an agreement, it will take a strong showing of support for our demands by all of us. To that end please stay tuned for news from our Negotiations Support Committee on how that can be accomplished. In the meantime, should you have questions or any mobilisation ideas of your own, please contact your Steward or Debra Yee vpcomm@munaca.com
TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER!!
Your Demands need your support. We will only reach a satisfactory agreement by acting together! Use these images to show support for your negotiations priorities and the MUNACA bargaining team by including these as your profile images, in your email signatures, and as your video conferencing backgrounds. Stay tuned as we will be holding more info sessions in the near future.
Stay safe and well.

2021-09-13 Negotiations Bulletin #36

Dear Members,
On Wednesday we met again with the Employer and must admit there is still much to do. It has been tough slogging and we are not impressed by the Employer taking several weeks to submit a comprehensive counter-proposal on monetary related issues, to have them submit basically a list of outstanding issues with little to no movement on their part. We, on the other hand, did offer some movement and await their responses. Next week we will continue to make counter-proposals on the outstanding monetary related issues with the hopes that it will encourage some movement on the Employers part.
The Employer at this point doesn’t feel a need to move from their positions. We need to apply pressure upon them that will force them into reconsidering their stance. Your Negotiations Committee can make all the reasonable and logical arguments that should convince a reasonable Employer to alter their positions, however, the only real effective tool is a strong showing by the membership of their displeasure with their Employer and fierce support for their demands. We are asking the membership to contact their Stewards and/or the Negotiations Support Committee ( Debra Yee: vpcomm@munaca.com) to inquire on the ways you can show your support for your demands and your determination to obtain a fair and just collective agreement.
Your Demands need your support. We will only reach a satisfactory agreement by acting together! Use these images to show support for your negotiations priorities and the MUNACA bargaining team by including these as your profile images, in your email signatures, and as your video conferencing backgrounds. Stay tuned as we will be holding more info sessions in the near future. Together we are stronger!
We hope you can get your second vaccination shot soon.
Stay safe and well.

2021-09-07 Negotiations Bulletin #35

Dear Members,
On Thursday your Negotiations Team met with the Employer. We finally received a comprehensive counter-proposal on monetary related articles. The employer explained their proposals in the morning and we spent the rest of the day evaluating them. As there are many to examine we will need to continue our studies. We are meeting again on Wednesday the 8th to continue our discussions. A preliminary look has revealed that there are significant differences between their positions and ours. We will need to count on your support for your demands to obtain a fair and just collective agreement

Items Discussed at the Table Today

ARTICLE 5 – Scope of Application
There was some small movement and we feel we are getting closer to an agreement on this article.
ARTICLE 7 – General Provisions
7.01 f) we asked the Employer to start providing the information that they have agreed to as a good faith gesture, however, as yet no commitment on their part.
ARTICLE 8 – Definitions
8.13 – There is still no agreement with the Employer on the definition of seniority. The differences are significant, however, we hope to clarify them at our next meeting. Their response will determine the direction of negotiations.

Below is a list of articles we hope to discuss on Wednesday. Should agreements be reached on these, we should find ourselves being significantly closer to a consensus on other outstanding issues.
ARTICLE 9 – Union Activities
ARTICLE 13 – Job Posting and Selection of Personnel
ARTICLE 14 – Temporary Assignments
ARTICLE 16 – Employment Security
ARTICLE 20 – Hours of Work
Appendix 5 Casuals

We are still in serious disagreement with the Employer as the result of their attempt to walk-back 5 years of improved working conditions and salaries for temporary replacement workers. This resulted in a loss of their membership for AMUSE but improved the working conditions and salary for those transferred into MUNACA. MUNACA benefitted from an influx of many new members. This was a very generous Union principled act on behalf of AMUSE. Now the Employer wants to return to the past because departments and units are demanding greater staffing flexibility. When asked to support this claim with concrete examples of university operations being negatively affected…no examples were proffered. The Employer is attacking our Bargaining Unit by purposely proposing to pay employees less for doing MUNACA work by turning the principle of equal pay for work of equal value on its head!
Your Demands need your support. We will only reach a satisfactory agreement by acting together! Use these images to show support for your negotiations priorities and the MUNACA bargaining team by including these as your profile images, in your email signatures, and as your video conferencing backgrounds. Stay tuned as we will be holding more info sessions in the near future. Together we are stronger!
We hope you can get your second vaccination shot soon.
Stay safe and well.

2021-08-19 Negotiations Bulletin #34

Dear Members,
On Thursday your Negotiations Team met with the Employer for the 32nd time.
Items Discussed at the Table Today
ARTICLE 5 – Scope of Application
5.02 – this pertains to Article 39 of the Labour Code where members can be removed or included in the MUNACA Bargaining Unit depending on their duties.There has been some movement on this clause towards an agreement. We pointed out to the Employer that we, in good faith, have respected this Article and when we believed that an employee should be in our Bargaining Unit we have filed an Article 39 request, however, the Employer has a history of falling short in this regard.
5.04 – deals with outsourcing (also referred to as subcontracting) another way the Employer attacks our Bargaining Unit by farming out our duties and tasks to other groups. This is still an issue of concern.
ARTICLE 7 – General Provisions
7.01 f) this clause has been agreed to, it deals with some of the information the Employer provides to the Union. However, under the conditions of our present Collective Agreement the Employer is not providing us with the info we need. We have asked the Employer as a sign of good faith and to avoid grievances that they start providing the necessary information. Stay tuned.
ARTICLE 8 – Definitions
8.13 – Seniority the Employer had some questions regarding our definition of seniority. One aspect to our definition is to have seniority be cumulative as opposed to continuous. Cumulative seniority is related to our demand for a Recall/Priority List. We are attempting to protect our members, for example, those who have completed a contract with an end date, M terms or the funding for a research grant has ended. We are trying to protect our members that find themselves in a precarious position.
ARTICLE 16 – Employment Security
We still do not have an answer from the Employer on our demand for a Recall/Priority List. However, the Employer has confirmed their intention to submit a comprehensive counter-proposal on monetary related Articles and Clauses by next we meet.
ARTICLE 20 – Hours of Work
20.04- this clause deals with scheduling and the consequences if the Employer fails to respect it. The Employer has withdrawn their demand and returned to Status Quo, which was a rare positive on a disappointing day.
Appendix 5 Casuals
We are in serious disagreement with the Employer on their attempt to return five years back. AMUSE was able to negotiate a change in their Collective Agreement that saw AMUSE members who were replacing a MUNACA member for more that a month (previously 6 months) would be transferred into our Bargaining Unit. This resulted in a loss of their membership for AMUSE but improved the working conditions and salary for those transferred into MUNACA. MUNACA benefitted from an influx of many new members. This was a very generous Union principled act on behalf of AMUSE. Now the Employer wants to return to the past because they need ‘’flexibility’ and because it has caused them difficulty in complying with the agreement. When asked for examples none were proffered. The Employer is attacking our Bargaining Unit and purposely proposing to pay employees less for doing MUNACA work by turning the principle of equal pay for work of equal value on its head!

Your Demands need your support. We will only reach a satisfactory agreement by acting together! Use these images to show support for your negotiations priorities and the MUNACA bargaining team by including these as your profile images, in your email signatures, and as your video conferencing backgrounds. Stay tuned as we will be holding more info sessions in the near future. Together we are stronger!
We hope you can get your second vaccination shot soon.
Stay safe and well.

2021-08-12 Negotiations Bulletin #33

Dear Members,
On Thursday your negotiations team met with the Employer for the 31st time. Our last meeting was July 8th, the 15th was used to review the Employer’s salary proposal and the other days were cancelled by the Employer.
As we stated in our previous bulletin the Employers’ wage offer was disappointing. We have asked for more information on their proposal and will continue to analyse their offer. In the meantime we are discussing salary related articles and clauses.
Items Discussed at the Table Today
ARTICLE 5 – Scope of Application
5.02 – this pertains to Article 39 of the Labour Code where members can be removed or included in the MUNACA Bargaining Unit depending on their duties. This article is important as it is the mechanism to protect the Bargaining Unit as we are well aware over the past 25 years the Employer has attacked our Union by removing members and placing them in M positions. With our new certification we hoped to put a stop to that practice, however, we must remain vigilant to ensure that it doesn’t occur again.
5.04 – deals with outsourcing (also referred to as subcontracting) another way the Employer attacks our Bargaining Unit by farming out our duties and tasks to other groups. The Employer claims this isn’t happening very often and they are unwilling to place any constraints on the ability to do so as they require flexibility. Considering their past history and the present we disagree with their position and will continue to push for more protection for our Bargaining Unit.
ARTICLE 7 – General Provisions
7.14 – this clause deals with our demand that all members receive a detailed job description and that it may be reviewed upon request. The Employer refuses having claimed that supervisor’s do not have the time to produce detailed job descriptions nor review them. We find this rationale dubious and believe that they are an important part of work and necessary for both sides to know what is expected and they form the basis of evaluations.
ARTICLE 8 – Definitions
8.18 – this clause is an Employer demand to define Soft Funds. We agree that Soft/Research need to be defined in our Collective Agreement, however, the Employer’s proposal would result in dangerously expanding the definition with including, for example, endowment funds. Their definition could result in many more members falling under this term which could negatively impact employment security.
We also discussed the definitions of seniority and service and are cautiously optimistic that we will be able to reach an agreement.
ARTICLE 16 – Employment Security
We were prepared to continue discussions on this very important article, however, to move towards an agreement we required a response to our proposal on a Recall/Priority List. This list will help our members that have completed their temporary assignment, those that their research grants have come to an end to maintain their link to the Employer and be able to obtain a new position. We are attempting to improve the security of our members that are in precarious positions. Our proposal is also of advantage to the Employer who are having employee retention issues by ensuring that there is a pool of employees that have McGill work experience.
We have been waiting for a response from the Employer regarding Recall for some time. This clause is crucial as it has a significant effect on many other articles in our Collective Agreement. The Employer confirmed that they will be submitting a counter-proposal on Employment Security.
ARTICLE 20 – Hours of Work
20.03 – Flexible Work Arrangements and Working From Home.
The Employer submitted a counter-proposal that was disappointing as it lacked substance and appeared to be a cut and paste from their website. This seems not to be a serious attempt to negotiate. However, that being said we understand that the situation we find ourselves in is fluid but when we asked if the Employer could provide us with data regarding the requests that employees have been making, we were informed that they do not have this information at Central HR. The Employer did agree to request such information from Local HRs. This has become a recurring theme on behalf of the Employer as they have repeated that they cannot ensure agreements made at the table will be followed through by Local HR. They have said almost the same when it comes to Workday issues, this gives us pause to think that maybe their Negotiating team should include representatives from Local HR, Workday and New Work Model group.
Your Negotiations Committee needs your support. We will only reach a satisfactory agreement by acting together! Here are some images you can use to show support for your negotiations priorities and the MUNACA bargaining team. Please show your colours by including these as your profile images, in your email signatures, and as your Zoom backgrounds. Stay tuned as we will be holding more info sessions in the near future. Together we are stronger!
We hope you can get your second vaccination shot soon.
Stay safe and well.

2021-07-08 Negotiations Bulletin #32

Dear Members,
On Thursday your negotiations team met with the Employer for the 30th time. McGill finally submitted their wage proposals.
Employer’s Offer – Disappointing!
The Employer is happy to acknowledge and thank us for the commitment and loyalty shown by staff since March 2020, and throughout this incredibly challenging time which has kept McGill thriving during a pandemic, however, at the negotiations table MUNACA was offered;

• Pay cuts via reductions to the maximum rates of pay of some members, by as much as 16%. This would limit the wages of future MUNACA members, as well as those who are currently working their way up the scales will have their potential earnings cut.
• A significant reduction in the value of annual step increases. Not only are they proposing to cut the maximum pay for some, but the annual increases along the way would be smaller – about 1/3rd. McGill is devaluing your work experience from one year to the next.
• The economic increases proposed are well below the cost of living – at a time when the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is at record highs.
• No new lump sum payments for those at the top of their scale and above.
• COVID pay – We have asked several times, and the answer was a flat out no. They claim that their approach was to compare salaries with other universities and groups in Montreal, but ignored the fact that Concordia’s employees, for example, received a $500.00 COVID stipend last September. Their logic is seriously flawed and one-sided.

The Employer said that they want to be competitive, but cutting how much members earn will only benefit the Employer. As with their definition of collaboration, it is a one way street.

2021-06-22 Negotiations Bulletin #31

Dear Members,
We met again this afternoon with the Employer. Most of our time was spent doing some housekeeping with clauses that were agreed to and we verified the translations. We also proposed more meeting dates in July and September in addition to dates already scheduled for August.

• Article 37 Salary Continuance – discussions and clarifications continued. The Employer will review this article and get back to us with counter proposals.
• Article 40 **Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – the Employer refuses to place this program in the collective agreement, however, we will find alternative means to point out deficiencies with this plan and will be calling upon the membership to alert us to the problems they encounter with the EAP.
• Appendix 3 Educational Assistance – our discussions continued, we maintained our demands and elaborated on our proposal

Finally July 8th will mark our 30th meeting with the Employer, they have promised to deliver their wage proposals.
Together we are stronger!
We hope you can get your second vaccination shot soon.
Stay safe and well. Enjoy the long weekend! GHG!!

2021-06-10 Negotiations Bulletin #30

Dear Members,
We continued with the employer our in-depth discussions on;

• Article 19 Closing of the the University – we made a counter-proposal that would recognise the extra efforts on those members that have to be on site during emergency closures. The Employer continues to maintain their position that these efforts are not worthy of recognition.
• Article 31 Parental Leaves – we agreed to some changes in wording, a positive step.
• Article 37 Salary Continuance – discussions and clarifications continued.
• Article 40 Employee Assistance Program – we are asking that it be part of the collective agreement like other plans ex LTD, however, the Employer’s position remains the same – no. We pointed out that our members have significant concerns and their issues need to be addressed.
• Article 42 Employee Files – we are still in talks on who will have access to our files.
• Appendix 3 Educational Assistance – our discussions will continue.
  We did reach some minor agreements today. The employer confirmed that their complete salary proposals will finally be deposited on July 8th.
  REMINDER – we will be holding our Annual General Meeting this Monday, June 14th, 2021 from 12:30 – 14:00. Register in advance, at least twenty-four hours before the meeting begins. Your MUNACA membership will be confirmed, and the video link will be sent in advance of the meeting.
  *If the meeting goes over time, there will be a second session on Tuesday, June 15th, 2021 from 12:30 – 14:00.We have deposited demands that will place our M members in a classification system and remove merit which will be replaced by salary scales with step increases. We have also included a demand for a market adjustment that will bring us up to those equivalent jobs within other Montreal Universities.
  Together we are stronger!
  As soon as you are able please consider getting vaccinated.
  We hope you are safe and well. Enjoy the weekend!

2021-06-03 Negotiations Bulletin #29

Dear Members,

We met with the Employer today and continued in-depth discussions on:

• Article 19 Closing of the University
• Article 31 Parental Leaves
• Article 37 Salary Continuance
• Article 40 Employee Assistance Program
• Article 42 Employee Files
• Article 48 Retirement
• Appendix 3 Educational Assistance

At this juncture, we are explaining and clarifying our positions on the above-mentioned articles. Parental Leave is probably the most complex article in any collective agreement, and with the recent changes made by the provincial government to Québec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) it has added additional complexities that must be taken into account. Therefore, this particular article will require more exchanges before coming to an agreement.
We did not reach any agreements today, but we feel we have done some necessary work to pave the way to reaching agreements on these issues.
A reminder that we will be holding our Annual General Meeting on June 14th and 15th.
Together we are stronger!
As soon as you are able please consider getting vaccinated.
We hope you are safe and well. Enjoy the weekend!

2021-05-27 Negotiations Bulletin #28

Dear Members,
We met with the Employer today and continued in-depth discussions on Article 16 – Employment Security with emphasis on the Employer’s definitions of soft/research funds. We informed them that we consider their proposals as a severe attack on Employment Security rights, and that our members have no intention of allowing that! We maintained our position and were under the impression that they were unaware of the impact of their proposals on the membership. We reminded the Employer that in the University sector, employees have benefitted from employment security rights for more than 45 years, with little to no changes in those rights.
We had further exchanges on our positions on; seniority/service, social leaves, training/career development, early retirement, joint committee to update PED’s. We shall continue our discussions on these subjects, and many others, next Thursday.
One constant refrain from the Employer is that they do not wish to place in the collective agreement principles they purport to uphold, in other words not ready to put their money where their mouth is, and that we need to take them at their word. Heard that before haven’t we?
As for meeting dates, we were informed of a change. The Employer are now unavailable for most of July but are available to negotiate in August.
A reminder that we will be holding our Annual General Meeting on June 14th and 15th.
Together we are stronger!
As soon as you are able please consider getting vaccinated.
We hope you are safe and well. Enjoy the weekend!

2021-05-20 Negotiations Bulletin #27

Dear Members,
We met with the Employer today and started in-depth discussions on Article 2 – Union Recognition, Article 16 – Employment Security and Article 30 – Social Leaves.
The Employer’s intentions specifically with regards to employment security have become clear. They intend to drastically reduce our employment security rights by way of expanding the definition of soft/research funds. We informed the Employer that MUNACA has no appetite to restrict employment security rights, on the contrary we are demanding to improve them to be more in line with other Quebec Universities.
We were informed that the Employer has no mandate to agree to a separate bank of days for Family leaves nor improvements to bereavement benefits. This seems contrary to their stated goals of creating a healthy workplace with a work/life balance or being a top employer.
We exchanged meeting dates for June and July and hope to meet weekly ‘til the end of July. With the exception of the week of June 14th as we are holding our Annual General Meeting and the PSAC Quebec Region is holding its triennial Congress. We are also expecting a complete salary proposal from them before the end of June.
Your Negotiations Committee very much appreciates your support.
We can only reach a satisfactory agreement with your support.
Together we are stronger!
As soon as you are able please consider getting vaccinated.
We hope you are safe and well. Enjoy the long weekend!

2021-05-13 Negotiations Bulletin #26

Dear Members,
We met with the Employer today and deposited our proposals on salaries and on other monetary issues. The employer, on the other hand, deposited only monetary issues preferring to wait before responding to our wage demands.

Our salary demands are comprised of the following elements:
1. Article 23 – Salary Administration (which includes new rematch procedures, promotions, lump sum payments)
2. Article 24 – Rates of Pay
3. Article 50 – Duration of the Agreement
4. Appendix 8 – Salary Scales, Hourly Salary Scales (salary scales with reduced steps, salary scales for M positions)
5. COVID-19 Compensation & Emergency Closures

We have deposited demands that will place our M members in a classification system and remove merit which will be replaced by salary scales with step increases. We have also included a demand for a market adjustment that will bring us up to those equivalent jobs within other Montreal Universities.
Over the next few weeks we will continue our discussions on monetary issues. The employer will be taking some time to look at our wage demands so we do not expect to hear back from them for several weeks.
As requested by many of you during the Q&A at our info-session of March 24th, please find here some MUNACA images you can start using now as your profile images, in email signatures, and as Zoom backgrounds to show support for your bargaining team. Please stay tuned as we will be holding more info sessions in the near future.
Your Negotiations Committee very much appreciates your support.
Together we are stronger!
As soon as you are able please get vaccinated.

2021-05-06 Negotiations Bulletin #25

Dear Members,
As we stated in our last bulletin of April 15th we were expecting to exchange salary proposals with the employer on May 6th. We were ready, however, the employer has asked for a further delay until next Thursday. This delay is unfortunate but these things happen from time to time. We are expecting the employer to deposit their proposals next week, however, we have been informed by them that it will not be complete as wages will not be deposited then. This is not unusual but is disappointing as we had expected a complete package.
As requested by many of you during the Q&A at our info-session of March 24th, please find here some MUNACA images you can start using now as your profile images, in email signatures, and as Zoom backgrounds to show support for your bargaining team. Please stay tuned as we will be holding more info sessions in the near future.
Your Negotiations Committee very much appreciates your support.
Together we are stronger!
As soon as you are able please get vaccinated.

2021-04-15 Negotiations Bulletin #24

Dear Members,
We met with the Employer today to continue our discussions on the remaining non-monetary issues, however, progress has been slow. We must say that we were disappointed that these issues were not resolved but agreed with the Employer to set them aside and prepare for depositing salary proposals by May 6th. We did reach an agreement on including an employment equity clause in Article 4 – Discrimination.
Your Negotiations Committee very much appreciates your support.
Together we are stronger!
As soon as you are able please get vaccinated.
We hope you are safe and well. Enjoy the weekend!

2021-04-08 Negotiations Bulletin #23

Dear Members,
Our scheduled meeting with the Employer today had to be postponed until next Thursday as the Employer had to deal with new COVID protocols. This postponement will delay our negotiations, however, the Pandemic has required all to be adaptable. 
Together we are stronger!
As soon as you are able please get vaccinated.
We hope you are safe and well. Enjoy the weekend!

2021-04-01 Negotiations Bulletin #22

Dear Members,
The day was spent going over the remaining non-monetary clauses with the Employer. We had hoped to finish off today the outstanding clauses but as the Scottish Bard would say ‘The best laid schemes of mice and men’. We did make some progress though; Article 36 – Health and Safety has been settled. We will continue our discussions on non-monetary issues next Thursday.
As requested by many of you during the Q&A at our info-session of March 24th, please find here some MUNACA images you can start using now as your profile images, in email signatures, and as Zoom backgrounds to show support for your bargaining team.
Your ongoing solidarity with your Negotiations Committee is very much appreciated. Please stay tuned as we will be holding more info sessions in the upcoming months.
Together we are stronger!
We hope you are safe and well. Enjoy the extra long weekend!

2021-03-25 Negotiations Bulletin #21

Dear Members,
We met with the Employer for the 21st time on Thursday. We continued our discussions on some of the remaining non-monetary issues. Movement was made on Article 36 – Health and Safety, and we expect to be able to reach an agreement next time. Further discussions will continue next week on this article along with the remaining non-monetary articles. We are moving closer to the time when we will be depositing our salary demands.
We were pleased at the robust turn out at our Negotiations Info Sessions held on Wednesday, March 24th. As requested by many of you during the Q&A, please find here some MUNACA images you can start using now as your profile images, in email signatures, and as Zoom backgrounds to show support for your bargaining team. Your ongoing solidarity with your Negotiations Committee is very much appreciated. Please stay tuned as we will be holding more info sessions in the upcoming months.
Together we are stronger!
We hope you are safe and well. Enjoy your weekend!

2021-03-18 Negotiations Bulletin #20

Dear Members,
Again this week we met with the Employer twice. On Monday afternoon we settled Article 41 – Technological Change. Thursday was spent trying to resolve Article 20 – Hours of Work, although there was some progress made there remains a couple of outstanding issues, both parties agreed to set them aside for talks down the road. We were informed that the employer is looking into flexible work arrangements and is not ready to discuss them until they have completed their research. At this point we do not know when they will be prepared to present their proposals.
The next time we meet we will be dealing with the remaining outstanding non-monetary issues.
As a reminder, monetary demands will be deposited with the employer soon, and we will need everyone’s support.
Together we are stronger!
We hope you are safe and well. Enjoy your weekend! And see you at one of our negotiations info sessions on Wednesday, March 24th at 12 or 1.

2021-03-11 Negotiations Bulletin #19

Dear Members,
We met with the Employer twice this week. On Tuesday afternoon we sat down to discuss Articles 13 – Job Postings and Selection of Personnel and Article 14 – Temporary Assignments. We had been cautiously optimistic that we could reach an agreement, however, that was not to be. The employer has rejected the idea of giving our members that do not have employment security and who have been laid-off or seen their temporary assignment come to an end the ability to apply for jobs as internal candidates. We fail to understand why the employer is unwilling to take advantage of a group of employees that have already worked for McGill and have a knowledge of the University. So discussions on these Articles have been set aside as we continued with other non-monetary issues.
On Thursday we addressed our concerns on Article 41 Technological Change. Unlike Articles 13 and 14 we made progress and feel near to an agreement when next we meet.
Monetary issues are scheduled to follow within the next couple of weeks. These negotiations, and as you can well imagine, will require more intense bargaining. Keep an eye on your inboxes, as our Negotiations Support Team will be reaching out to you with ways where you can show your support for our demands.
Together we are stronger!
We hope you are safe and well. Enjoy your weekend!

2021-02-18 Negotiations Bulletin #18

Dear Members,
We met with the Employer twice this week on Wednesday and Thursday where we continued our discussions on Article 13 – Job Postings and Selection of Personnel and Article 14 – Temporary Assignments. We got down to basics on Article 13 and are expecting a counter proposal from McGill next time we meet. We are hoping to conclude discussions on Articles 13 and 14 on March 9th or 11th, then proceed to the remaining non-monetary items.
Monetary issues are scheduled to follow, and as you can well imagine, these topics will require more intense bargaining. Keep an eye on your inboxes, as our Negotiations Support Team will soon be reaching out, as we prepare the groundwork to support our contract demands.
We hope you are safe and well. Enjoy your weekend!

2021-02-11 Negotiations Bulletin #17

Dear Members,
On Thursday we got down to work on Article 13 – Job Postings and Selection of Personnel and Article 14 – Temporary Assignments. As you know these articles have a significant impact on our ability to find new positions and work experiences within McGill. Each party presented their positions on these articles. The employer asked to have more time to review their position and asked to break for the afternoon to do so. We will continue our discussions next week.
Please note that our Vice President Sherrie Child has stepped in to replace Patrick Ritchie on the negotiations committee until by-elections are held to replace him as VP M Affairs.
We hope you are safe and well. Enjoy your weekend!

2021-02-04 Negotiations Bulletin #16

Dear Members,
Today we overcame significant differences in our respective positions regarding Articles 11 – Administrative Dismissal and Article 12 – Disciplinary Measures, we were able to reach an agreement. As a result of our discussions, both parties were able to make important adjustments. We know that not all negotiations sessions will be as positive as this one, however, we remain cautiously optimistic.
Next week, we will get down to working on Articles 13 – Job Postings and Selection of Personnel and Article 14 – Temporary Assignments. These articles have a significant impact on our ability to find new positions and work experiences within the McGill community.
N.B. Patrick Ritchie Vice-President M Affairs has obtained a position at McGill outside our Bargaining Unit and has therefore resigned from the Negotiations Committee. We wish him well and thank him for his unwavering service to MUNACA’s members.
We hope you are safe and well. Enjoy your weekend!

2021-01-28 Negotiations Bulletin #15

Dear Members,
Negotiations with the employer continued.
Our talks centred on Article 10 – Grievance and Disagreement Procedure. We could say that this article has been the most difficult one so far. We now can say we have reached an agreement. We realise that it has taken quite some time, however, we feel it was well spent. Both Parties made concessions but at the end of the day we now have what we believe to be a clearer article and we have reduced the time of the grievance process. This should result in a shorter wait for members’ cases to be resolved.
We also renewed our discussion on Article 11 – Administrative Dismissal and Article 12 – Disciplinary Measures. We will have in depth discussions on these Articles when next we meet.
We hope you are safe and well. Enjoy your weekend!

2021-01-21 Negotiations Bulletin #14

Dear Members,
We met again with the Employer today. We discussed Article 10 – Grievance
and Disagreement Procedure. We realise that we have been discussing this article for a while now and it has been tough slogging, however, this is a very important article and we need to make sure that we get it right. We are making good progress and are confident that an agreement on this article is coming soon.
We hope you are safe and well.

2021-01-14 Negotiations Bulletin #13

Dear Members,
Happy New Year!! Here’s to a better 2021 for all. We hope your had a restful break and are keeping safe.
We met with the employer today and continued our discussions on Article 10 – Grievance and Disagreement Procedure. The discussions were positive and we are optimistic to be able to reach an agreement soon. Both parties made movement in order to settle on a process that is fair and more effective. This article is a very important one in our collective agreement as it provides the crucial mechanism to defend your rights. As a result of the discussions we had today, we feel close to an agreement on this important article.
Be safe and well. Enjoy your weekend!

2021-12-14 Negotiations Bulletin #12

Dear Members,

Our last negotiations session with the Employer, before the holiday break, took place yesterday. We had some discussions and made some minor changes on Article 9 – Union Activities, Article 17 – Temporary Lay Off, and Article – 20 Hours of Work. Our primary discussions were centered around Article 10 – Grievance and Disagreement Procedure. There was some satisfactory movement on the part of the employer. However, as we said in our last bulletin, this article is a very important article in our collective agreement as it provides the crucial mechanism to defend our members rights. As a result of the discussions, we feel that there is still a long way to go before we will reach an agreement. This is why we will set these discussions aside and move on to other articles when we meet again in the new year.

The Executive Committee and the Union Council would like to invite you to stop by a virtual 5 à 7 on Monday December 21st, so that we can wish you a happy and safe holiday and to share some cheer.

Remember to send in your stories and photos reception@munaca.com for the Holiday prize draw to

Be safe and well.

2020-12-03 Negotiations Bulletin #11

Dear Members,
At our Thursday weekly negotiations meeting, progress was slow. This slow going is to be expected as we were discussing in depth Article 10 – Grievance and Disagreement Procedure. This is a very important article in our collective agreement as it provides the crucial mechanism for how we can defend our members rights. Grievance articles are usually only tinkered with in each round of negotiations due to its importance and the difficulty in reaching a settlement. In that vein, our proposals were in the spirit of improving the procedures. However, this time around the administration has seen fit to make significant demands. They are demanding that deadlines to file grievances be cut in half, reduced representation, and that the burden on some of the costs be shifted onto the union. At the same time that they are asking to reduce our delays to file grievances while, they are asking to increase the delays that favour them.
There has been some agreement on modifying clauses but as of now, there are major roadblocks to reaching an agreement on this article. We will continue our discussions at our next meeting on Monday December 14th. We are hopeful that the employer will reconsider its position and make some movement towards an agreement. We will keep you posted. Please sign the petition below.
Be safe and well.
Enjoy your weekend!

2020-11-26 Negotiations Bulletin #10

Fellow Members,
Progress was slow but there was still some progress at the negotiations table on Thursday November 26th. We continued our discussions on Articles 7 General Provisions, 15 Probationary Period, and 33 Unpaid Leave of Absence, and reached agreements on many non-monetary clauses. We feel that we are close so have moved on to more complicated articles. We reviewed the Administration’s position on Article 10 Grievance and Disagreement Procedure. The picture is clear; however, the differences are important and we will review the article and present to the employer some counter-proposals, hopefully the next time we meet. At our next scheduled meeting we will discuss the non-monetary clauses in Article 37 Salary Continuance.
The Executive Committee would like to remind you of the importance of signing the petitions below. It is crucial to join with the students and other unions and associations in fighting COVID-19 by pushing back the start of the winter term, and to fight bigotry and demand the repealing of Law 21.
Be safe and well.
Enjoy your weekend!

2020-11-19 Negotiations Bulletin #9

Fellow Members,
Negotiations continued with the employer yesterday, where we continued our discussions on Articles 7 General Provisions, 15 Probationary Period, and 33 Unpaid Leave of Absence. Several counter proposals were exchanged by the parties, and we are closing in on agreements on some clauses in these articles. We also discovered where reaching agreements will prove more difficult, this is important to know. Progress was made, we are mostly getting a clearer understanding of each other’s positions. Next week we should have discussions on more substantive issues.
We have also included in this bulletin two links to petitions (see below) which the Executive Committee requests that you consider signing, as one deals with discrimination in our society, the removal of injustices and the repeal of Law 21, which bans wearing religious symbols in the public sector. The other, a student initiated petition, requesting the start of the winter semester be pushed back in order to give some more time to quarantine and to fight COVID-19.
Be safe and well.
Enjoy your weekend!

2020-11-12 Negotiations Bulletin #8

Fellow Members,
Yesterday we met with the employer and continued our pursuit of a fair collective agreement. Our talks mainly centred around Article 7 General Provisions, which primarily deals with the information the employer provides the union. We also had exchanges on probationary periods, TAWA, disciplinary measures and other minor clauses. Some progress was made, mostly though we had more in depth discussions which has given each party a clearer understanding of each other’s positions. As we move forward, more substantive discussions will take place.
Hope you are well and safe.
Enjoy your weekend!

2020-11-06 Negotiations Bulletin #7

Dear Members,
We met again on Thursday with the employer and continued our explorations on clauses where we feel close to agreement. We are hoping to reach agreement on several clauses next week. As we move forward more extensive discussions will be required in order to reach an understanding. Your Committee remains satisfied with our progress.
Hope you are well and safe.
Have a good weekend.

2020-10-29 Negotiations Bulletin #6

Dear Members,
Negotiations continued with the employer on Thursday. The proceedings went well and we continue to be cautiously optimistic. Mostly minor clauses, where we felt close to agreement, were covered. However, we also started to exchange positions on more substantial issues and agreed to follow up on them in the coming weeks. We will keep you posted.
Hope you are well and safe.
Have a good weekend.

2020-10-22 Negotiations Bulletin #5

Dear Members, We continued meeting with the Employer to negotiate a satisfactory collective agreement on Thursday October 22nd. We were able to reach agreement on several minor clauses, baby steps but progress nonetheless. We will continue to update you after each sessionBe safe and well, have a good weekend and see you at our virtual Annual General Meeting on the 28th, part two.

2020-10-15 Negotiations Bulletin #4

Dear Members,
The meeting with the employer on Thursday October 15th, was postponed due to a scheduling conflict. We will work with the employer to find an alternative date for this meeting. In the meantime we have exchanged emails clarifying our position on several clauses in the proposed agreement. We will continue to update you regularly on our progress.
Be safe and well, have a good weekend and see you at our virtual Annual General Meeting on the 21st.

2020-10-08 Negotiations Bulletin #3

Dear Members,
We met with the employer on Thursday October 8th. We continued discussions on several topics, including disciplinary measures and union rights, exploring in more detail to find common ground. We have a clearer picture of the employer’s position on these subjects. It is still early days, but several counter-proposals were made and we consider this to be a sign of progress.
Hope you are safe and well.
Have a great long weekend.

2020-10-01 Negotiations Bulletin #2

Dear Members We met with the Employer on Thursday October 1st. We exchanged proposals on non-monetary articles. The parties had preliminary discussions and explanations of their rationale for the proposals. The day went smoothly. We will be meeting again next Thursday where we will have continued discussions on specific subjects where we feel we have common ground. We will keep you posted throughout the process.

2020-09-11 Negotiations Bulletin #1

Dear Members, we hope all are safe and well. On Thursday September 10th, we met with the employer. It was our understanding that we would be exchanging proposals on non-monetary issues. We were prepared, but unfortunately the employer was not. After some discussion, the employer ultimately agreed to be ready by our next meeting on October 1st. We were of the opinion that both parties would be ready to exchange proposals on September 10th and do not understand why the employer was not prepared. It is to the advantage for the employer to drag out the negotiations process and McGill has used this strategy many times in the past. It is in our interest to encourage them to be ready to negotiate in good faith when we meet. Your support is vital in our quest for a new collective agreement, our Negotiations Support Committee will be in touch with you to let you know how you may show your support for negotiating a fair collective agreement.