AMUSE Casuals Bargaining Update #4
Your AMUSE bargaining team met again with the Employer. We convened with the Union team at 10 am, while the Employer did a caucus from 10am-12pm. By 12:30 PM, we sat down with the Employer’s team.
During this session, we told them that we would respond to their Open Bargaining Protocol proposal over email with our own new proposals, this way we could keep the session focused completely on discussion of our demands. Please see our updated #3 to read more about that protocol proposal.
During this session, we were able to have great discussions about Article 9 General Provisions. This Article is quite expansive, and covers a lot about the ways in which we can engage with our fellow AMUSE members, whether it’s through putting up posters on campus, the University providing us a room for meetings, our staff and parent Union’s rights to be on campus and engage with members. In addition to that, it also spells out what information is included in our monthly memberlists from McGill.
What is your bargaining team’s goal with these demands? We want unrestricted access to members and for our Union meetings. A strong union is able to connect with their members, not worry about barriers, and have that integral connection to you all via several methods. We do not find that our expired Collective Agreement covers this well, and so our demands expanded on those rights.
Under provincial law, a Union has protected rights in workplaces to engage with their membership, in the understanding they’re not being disruptive to the Employee(s) workload. Union members also have protected rights to engage with their Union, use its resources, including legal, and never face forms of retaliation or consequences for this. This is what we’re trying to define better in our own C.A.
We are happy to say that while the conversations and provisions surrounding it are still in talks, the Employer was able to understand where we’re coming from and seems willing to negotiate this fairly and quickly.
In addition to that, the strength of our memberlists should improve, subject to potential McGill system limitations.
Why is it important for us to have information on AMUSE members? The simple answer is that we need to be able to contact you all! Let you know of any news that is impacting your job and work location, any union meetings etc. BUT, these lists also help your Union leadership be proactive in spotting labour disputes. Workers in a unit not working, being at the wrong hourly wage, getting your contract terminated early. We also want to understand our membership as a whole. We are usually approx 1200-1600 workers across around 52 unique workplaces. We need to understand our membership to make our union suited to you all, and to build our power!
We have a pause over the month of April, but will continue some conversations over email during that time to ensure the bargaining process is moving forward.
Do you want to attend as an observer in one of these bargaining sessions? Or do you want to put up information posters about the Union in your workplace, or grab pamphlets and pins for your colleagues? Send us an email to outreach@amusepsac.org
Finally, have you found it difficult to talk about Union rights in your workplace? Or are you having trouble in your workplace in general? Email grievances@amusepsac.org
