We the representatives of unions and associations would like to address our concerns over the way McGill ‘s administration has handled the COVID-19 crisis. We are loath to say the reaction to this crisis is the same as in the past. The McGill Administration has conducted itself again with little to no leadership and has treated those that we represent in a typical paternalistic fashion. The Administration has ignored our legitimate questions and concerns. We do not question the Administration’s right to manage, however, we feel it’s folly to ignore the potential experience and resources of the unions and associations available to you. Best practices would seem to us to dictate that the Administration should include unions and associations in emergency meetings. By not cooperating and consulting with us the labour/management relationship worsens, and at a time where all are affected and need to count on one another for support and assistance. We believe that all employees should be sent home with pay and those that remain behind to maintain essential services should be compensated at the appropriate rate.
We appreciate the concern that the Administration has shown towards Students and Faculty but wonder where is the concern for staff!
McGill claims to be a good employer, yet the Administration is ignoring the threat to all our members and their families’ health and safety. It is time to show leadership and concern for every member of the McGill community.
In light of the announcement by Premier Legault and to avoid confusion and stress we ask that you make an announcement that the university will be closed except for essential services and that all employees will be paid during the closure mandated by the Premier.
This letter was sent to Principal Fortier by Unions and Associations. Our Collective Agreement provides for staff being paid when the University closes, however, we believe that the University Administration has the duty to reassure all members of our community. We also believe that the University has the responsibility to work with all groups as we all have a stake in what happens here at McGill.
Apologies. le texte francais a suivre
yours as always in solidarity, Thomas on behalf of the MUNACA Executive Committee
11AM, Wednesday, January 29, 2020 Macdonald Engineering Building Mezzanine 817 rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montreal, QC, H3A 0C3
McGill’s Associate Provost (Equity & Academic Policies), the Institute of Islamic Studies, and the Muslim Students Association will hold a commemoration event for the victims of the January 29, 2017, Quebec City Mosque shooting victims. This event is held in partnership with Muslim Awareness Week.
The commemoration will be held in the mezzanine of the Macdonald Engineering Building at 11 am on January 29, and will be followed, weather permitting, with a visit to the CCIQ memorial tree, close to the entrance of the James Admin building.
The event is open to all members of the McGill community and also welcomes the participation of the general public.
On December 6th 1989 a lone gunman assasinated 14 women and injured 14 others. Now 30 years later – across Canada and Québec – we remember and honour the victims of this anti-feminist attack. This is a dark day in Canadian history and it is important to remember this hateful crime and hold our sisters close. We must make every effort to ensure that this doesn’t ever happen again and that all women and girls are respected, are at liberty to pursue their education and dreams in safety and without fear. yours in solidarity the Executive Committee
Since
2012, McGill students, faculty and staff have demanded that the university
divest its endowment from the fossil fuel industry. This is a matter of climate
justice: divestment is necessary to address the past, present and anticipated
social, ecological and democratic damages of the fossil fuel industry.
On November 12 at 12PM, McGill’s committee
reviewing fossil fuel divestment (CAMSR) will meet and finalize their
recommendations on divestment to be approved by the Board of Governors on
December 5th. The meeting on November 12 is the last chance for students,
faculty, and staff to speak out before the decision is made.
Join us in a walkout to demand:
1) Divestment from the top 200 largest fossil
fuel companies, globally by carbon reserves;
2) A public statement by the University
recognizing that fossil fuels and fossil fuel companies do cause grave social
injury;
3) That the Board of Governors’ discussion on
divestment on December 5th be held in open session;
4) That CAMSR members commit to publicly
presenting their preliminary findings and arguments at a community town hall
organized within the first month of the Winter 2020 term, with question period
for the community;
5) During the transition period toward full
divestment of the endowment, all general McGill donations must go towards the
trial fossil free fund.
This event will be held on stolen territory of
the Kanien’kehá:ka (Ga-ne-ghe-HA-ka), the keepers of the Eastern Door of the
Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Montreal, which is known as Tio’tia:ke (Gio-Jaw-Gé)
in the language of the Kanien’kehá:ka, is a place of vibrant indigenous
communities. Divest McGill is an organization that centers on social and
environmental justice, and we feel it is crucial to be informed on the past and
ongoing consequences of colonialism and to actively deconstruct its oppressive
systems. This includes the compensating and returning of land to indigenous
nations.
WALKOUT DETAILS:
WHAT: Walk out of class at 11:45 and meet with
other students, staff, and faculty in Community Square. This event will feature
speakers who are directly involved in the fight for climate justice and fossil
fuel divestment and will also include chants and singing so that the McGill
committee meeting inside the Administration building can hear the student
support for fossil fuel divestment.
WHEN: Tuesday, November 12, 11:45AM – 1PM.
WHERE: Community Square (the grassy steps and
surrounding area between McConnell and the Administration building).
Accessibility info: We recommend that wheelchair
users meet on the side of Community Square closest to McConnell. There will be
a loudspeaker at the event. For questions about specific accessibility needs,
please contact the Divest facebook page.
As many of you are aware, two major commuter train lines will be interrupted for up to the next four years. An inter-union group has been working through the summer on different ways to address the issue.
All members affected by the shutdown are invited to a public meeting
Monday, October 21st, 2019
Leacock 232
12:30-14:00
There will be a short presentation followed by open discussion. Please note that we cannot have food in the room.
Come join us Friday, October 4th, 2019 for our annual Fall BBQ. We’ll be serving burgers, sausages, vegetarian and vegan options, and more at the Three Bares Field from 12:00-14:00.
As you know, there is a global movement planned for September 27th, 2019 to bring awareness to the severity of climate change. MUNACA writes to you today to ask what McGill is prepared to do to support this global initiative?
According to Professor Manfredi:
“Addressing the threats posed by climate change and other environmental challenges through the advancement of knowledge and changes in our own operations is a priority at McGill University. Our ongoing commitment has expressed itself in, among other measures, our $10-million fund that supports sustainability-focused research and our bold objective to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040.”
However, if McGill is as committed to supporting sustainability as is stated above, a good show of faith would be to liberate students and staff to participate in the Montreal march, without penalty, as has been done at Concordia University, Dawson College and Université de Montréal.What will McGill do to show its support for not only its constituency, but also the planet? As MUNACA did during extreme weather this past winter, we again write to you to ask you to take a leading role amongst your university counterparts.
As we are well aware that climate change is of vital importance to us all, especially those from our student body who are young and will need to deal with the impact of climate change for the duration of their lives, we ask you to support our students, staff, and our planet. Should you choose to support this initiative with positive actions, it will bear witness to a McGill that cares and shares the concerns of its constituency. We ask you to support our students, staff and the planet in solidarity and cancel classes on September 27th, 2019.
We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Allan Youster the founding father, and first President, of MUNACA. Allan passed away on Friday, August 23, 2019 due to medical complications from cancer.
Allan was a Renaissance man. Everyone who is a local musician, a visitor to Birks library, or those who walked around St. Laurent, knew him or had seen him over the years. But for us, he is best remembered as one of the forefathers of MUNACA.
Allan first joined McGill in 1970, working for various libraries. During those first years, he was involved with the Support Staff Association known as MUNASA, created in 1973 to represent support staff at McGill (represented all non-academic staff, even management was included). He was the president of MUNASA from 1978 – 1987, and during his term he was instrumental in obtaining many rights we hold dear to this day; employment security, grievance procedures, staffing policy, parental leaves, and Summer Fridays. Following his presidency in MUNASA, he followed up by creating MUNACA and obtaining our first collective agreement with the University as a bargaining unit, called MUNACA.
Judy Kolonics remembers the best and the beginnings of those days as she too, was there from the start;
It was shocking to learn of Allan’s untimely death. So many memories. I knew Allan (& Gail) back in the day – before I joined McGill University (1973). I would find myself at their home in St. Laurent (pre-children), but filled with plenty of cats. Five…if memory serves…whose names can’t be mentioned in “polite” company.
Back in 1973, there was no union/certified association/formalized worker’s rights group. Who thought of it back then? Well, Allan did. He & people like Jim McVety, Trevor Garland got to talking. There were many like-minded people, whom Allan reached out to and engaged with. The result was MUNACA; I can’t remember when it was formed (1994).
I say this in the kindest way…Allan was annoying but effectively persuasive. He had drive, determination & a huge personality. We didn’t always agree and sometimes, near as dammit, wanted to come to blows with our differences…but Allan was a solid, principled man.
In the early 90’s, things were changing with respect to employer/employee relations. Allan realized that a formal Union was not the way to go for many of the McGill employees. So, Allan educated himself on exploring other options for the benefit of non-academics. A true Renaissance Man. One would sometimes want to walk away, in those days, when Allan would begin his “spiel”…always sincerely and ever so softly, persuasively. It was somewhat hypnotic.
So, in the early 1990’s, I (& others) got caught up in Allan’s vision for a certified association to respect the lowly workers.
Here are those who became involved in Allan’s vision:
John McNeil (retired: Physical Sciences & Engineering Library) Steve Hubbard (deceased: Physical Sciences & Engineering Library) Steve Peets (Richmond, B.C. – smart to move…formerly: Current Periodicals & Reading Room – McLennan Library) John Cunningham (retired: McLennan Stacks) Judy Kolonics (retired: Government Documents Dept. – McLennan Library)
With Allan, we signed an application to form a union. There were others involved as well, but our little group hammered out details. Our lawyer, Georges Marceau, helped guide us along.
Gail embraced we five into their home on St. Famille. There were copious amounts of alcohol and other stuff, much argument, discussion and always, Allan’s focus. Gail was so patient.
A vivid memory of that time was sitting on the floor, looking at the Beatle Bobble Heads that Allan had in the living room and wondering…. Are we out of our minds to try this?
Well, thanks to Allan’s conviction, dedication, persuasiveness and guts…MUNACA came to fruition. I don’t know how we did it all…we were all so young, Perhaps that’s the key.
I’ve been lucky to have shared a part of my life with Allan Youster … it has truly been an interesting road.
I think I’ve forgotten more than I recall…we tend to do that with those with whom we have welcomed in our lives and those dear ones, who have welcomed us – warts and all.
Allan after the MUNACA years, he would continue to serve on the Board of Governors, the Milton Co-op, attend copious concerts of all forms, participate in art exhibitions…you only have to google Allan’s name to find out his numerous interests.
He will be remembered for his tenacity, strength, his courage to fight for individual rights, whether it be for unions or the community at large. Allan left his mark not only with MUNACA but his legacy can be found all over Montreal. Our thoughts are with his wife Gail and his family.
Allan Youster encouraging members in the demonstration – 1999Voting for the first CA – 1999Signing of the first Collective Agreement, March 15, 1999 – at HR on Sherbrooke
It is with immense sadness that I inform you that Maitre James Duggan has died in an airplane crash on Friday July 12th. James Duggan did a great service for MUNACA when in January 2017 he successfully negotiated the unconditional return of our former VPLR, David Roseman, who had been suspended by the PSAC for five years, for reasons we felt lacked merit. This service will never be forgotten by many of us, and it was a transformative moment in our relationship with the PSAC. On a personal note, I found James Duggan to be a brilliant lawyer who was very active in supporting the labour movement, and a genuinely nice person. He received many professional accolades including being named Lawyer Emeritus by the Quebec Bar Association in 2016. He became famous for winning the right of RCMP officers to bargain collectively at the Supreme Court, a decision with broad implications for the labour movement. Their association was just certified this week, and so he didn’t have the chance to see the final result of that struggle. He loved to be outdoors, to fish, and to fly his Beaver bush plane. I was fortunate to have flown with him last summer, and was planning on another flight later this summer. He will be greatly missed by many in the legal field, in the labour movement, and by those of us who worked closely with him, especially David and myself. Our condolences have been extended to his family, especially Alex his son, a McGill Law graduate who has chosen to follow in his father’s footsteps.
