Achi news desk-
McGill University’s 1,600 teaching assistants approved an agreement in principle with their employer Thursday night, ending a strike that began nearly a month ago.
In a press release issued Friday morning, their union revealed that the new contract provides for salary increases of 15.5% over four years as well as “promises of transparency in the allocation of teaching assistant budgets.”
The hourly wage for teaching assistants, currently $33.03, will gradually increase to $38.46 from August 1, 2026.
The new collective agreement will last until July 31, 2027.
According to the union, the agreement comes at a good time because it prevents the “most severe effects” the labor dispute could have at the end of the session on April 30.
Nearly 1,000 courses were affected by the strike, the union said.
On its Facebook page, the Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM) said the tentative agreement had been approved by 75 percent, but did not specify the participation rate.
McGill’s teaching assistants have been on strike since March 25 after giving themselves an eight-week strike mandate, citing, among other things, the pay dispute.
Negotiations for a new collective agreement began eight months ago, according to the union.
Teaching assistants are graduate students enrolled at McGill University who assist and supervise students in their studies.
In general, they are responsible for correcting academic work, conducting seminars, handling administrative tasks, answering emails and meeting with students outside of class hours to advise them about upcoming assignments and tests.
— This Canadian Press report was first published in French on April 19, 2024.
