teaching assistants at mcgill* have been on strike since april 8, 2007 after more than 300 days without a collective agreement. throughout the course of the strike, the mcgill administration has been willing to concede very little and almost nothing in the realm of salary. just a couple of the issues include:

- mcgill teaching assistants are paid less than the average wage of G13 university in Canada (between mcgill and university of toronto for instance, mcgill TAs are paid 38% less. even when compared to university of windsor, TAs are paid approximately 25% less). the union is not asking for an increase that large and has already decreased demands once to try to open up discussion while the administration refuses to move at all.

- TAs do not receive any training on how to be a TA – the union is asking for paid training (like nearly every other kind of job – training is necessary and should be paid) this stands not only to benefit TAs who want to do a good job but will also benefit students and ensure a better teaching experience at mcgill.

- TAs do not have private office space to meet with students – the union is asking for private office space which would make it easier for the TAs to do their jobs as well as easier for students to seek and receive help.

since the beginning of the strike, the administration has conducted itself questionably. examples:

first, they delivered a (rejected) proposal several weeks after the strike started NOT through the collective bargaining committees but by releasing it publicly online through email to the entire university community.

second, they fired a number of TAs from other jobs at the university such as sessional instructors, research assistants, exam invigilators, and positions at the library.

third, even when an explicit statement has existed that marking is the sole responsibility of an individual teaching assistant professors are being asked to “scab” and perform the work of striking teaching assistants.

selected stories:
- mclean’s: “can professors be scabs?”
- montreal gazette: “TA strike leaves trail of blood at mcgill”

i think my favourite story of the strike is detailed in the second article above, it’s the story of two computer science majors (who have yet to receive their bachelor degrees) teaching a second year philosophy class. NOT as teaching assistants, no, as INSTRUCTORS of that class. this is after a PhD candidate in philosophy who was slated to teach this class, was fired due to being a teaching assistant.

in addition to being horrified by the way the administration is treating teaching assistants (who are, afterall, members of the university community at mcgill). i am equally shocked by the way the administration’s actions are hurting undergraduate students. as i’ve been busy working at a non-university job throughout the strike ( (not to mention busy finishing up course work in April), i’ve been reduced to watching most of this from the sidelines but i continue to be horrified, write letters, encourage others to take action, engage friends in the debate, and have refused to apply for a single university job lest i be unknowingly scabbing for a fired TA.

the actions of the university make me feel quite sick about being a student at mcgill. i imagine when i’m done here, i won’t be the kind of alumni that donates a cent to this institution unless they shape up pretty quickly.

*full disclosure: i’m a graduate student at mcgill, but not a teaching assistant and recently ended a contract as research assistant.