8-week strike ‘the only resort,’ say McGill TAs fed up with wages, working conditions [Video]

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.”