8-week strike 'the only resort,' say McGill TAs fed up with wages, working conditions

One day into an eight-week strike, the union representing McGill University teaching assistants (TA) hopes a return to the negotiation table Tuesday is a step toward a deal that includes higher wages and better working conditions for its 1,600 members.

Negotiations have been ongoing since last September. Earlier this month, union members voted 87.5 per cent in favour of a strike mandate, sensing that it was the only way to be heard.

"We've seen a lot of resistance from McGill. They've been giving us low ball after low ball," said Dallas Jokic, a TA in the philosophy department and a member of the bargaining committee for the Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM). 

"They've done nothing to address the problem of inflation or higher TA wages in other schools in Canada."

On Monday, union members gathered in front of McGill, ringing bells, waving flags and brandishing signs to get their points across.

One of those signs was meant to illustrate the pay gap between teaching assistants at McGill and those working for other schools. Union members have stated that McGill TAs make $33.03 per hour and that hourly wages for their counterparts in other schools are north of $46.

The eight-week strike comes on the back half of the winter semester, which is leaving Aiden Mehak, who's also a TA at the university, feeling "conflicted" about the effects it could have on students.

But Mehak also believes TAs have no other choice but to strike.

"I would love to be there for my students and students that are graduating are quite concerned that this will interfere with their graduation," they said.

"[But] I think is really the last resort and the only resort at this point."

The union also says McGill is reducing the number of hours included in the contracts of TAs.

By reducing the number of hours in a contract from 180 to 150, for example, TAs say they're forced to choose  between giving less support to students or working unpaid hours. 

During Monday's protest, one protester held a sign that read "No more free hours."

The union wants the hours in contract to be proportionate to the number of students a TA has.

WATCH | CBC's Sandra Hercegova breaks down labour dispute between McGill and TAs:

Why McGill TAs are on the picket line

8 months ago

Duration 0:50

After six months of negotiations and what they call zero progress, teaching assistants at McGill University are on strike. They say they're facing cuts to their hours forcing some to take other jobs.

TAs want their work to be valued, professor says

According to Barry Eidlin, an associate professor of sociology at McGill, the labour dispute is connected to a concept he describes as "the corporatization of the university" — which he says involves relying on more casual workers like teaching assistants to carry an increasingly heavy workload in an effort to maximize profits.

"They do a lot of the essential work at the university. Many undergrads have stronger relationships with their teaching assistants than their professors because they are the ones they interact with most closely," Eidlin said.

"What the TAs are asking for, why they are on the picket lines, is for their work to be valued."

Eidlin says he hopes Tuesday's bargaining session moves negotiations forward and that it's time for the university to begin negotiating in good faith.

In a statement, the university said it "deeply values the contributions of teaching assistants and recognizes their right to labour action within the parameters of the law."

"McGill looks forward to continuing discussions with the union for the renewal of the collective agreement," the statement reads. 

"The university is continuing its operations, prioritizing the measures necessary to ensure that students are not unduly affected by the labour action."