Teaching assistants at McGill University end strike
McGill University's 1,600 teaching assistants approved an agreement in principle with their employer on Thursday evening, ending a strike that began almost a month ago.
In a press release issued Friday morning, their union revealed that the new contract provides for wage increases of 15.5 per cent over four years as well as "guarantees of transparency in the allocation of teaching assistant budgets."
The hourly wage for teaching assistants, currently $33.03, will rise progressively to $38.46 from Aug. 1, 2026.
The new collective agreement will run until July 31, 2027.
According to the union, the agreement comes at a good time as it avoids "the worst of the negative impacts" that the labour dispute could have had on 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 was approved by 75 per cent, but did not specify the participation rate.
McGill's teaching assistants had been on strike since March 25 after giving themselves an eight-week strike mandate, citing, among other things, the wage 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.
Generally speaking, they are responsible for correcting academic work, conducting seminars, handling administrative tasks, answering e-mails and meeting with students outside class hours to advise them on upcoming assignments and exams.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 19, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
Usyk beats Fury by split decision, becomes undisputed heavyweight champion
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in 24 years.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
VIA Rail service delayed for hours due to suspicious package investigation in Kingston, Ont.
VIA Rail service resumed in the Kingston, Ont. area late Saturday afternoon, after a suspicious package investigation halted train service for more than four hours over the Victoria Day long weekend.
His SUV was stolen on Montreal's South Shore. Then he got a $156 parking ticket
A couple is frustrated after their SUV was stolen from Montreal's South Shore in March and they received a parking ticket for the same vehicle last week.
Banking mogul suing government after intelligence leaks leave him shut out of Canadian economy
Chinese Canadian banking mogul Shenglin Xian has launched a $300 million lawsuit against the federal government. It’s a means to find the source of intelligence leaks which Xian says has cost him his livelihood.
Jesus is their saviour, Trump is their candidate. Ex-president's backers say he shares faith, values
As Donald Trump increasingly infuses his campaign with Christian trappings while coasting to a third Republican presidential nomination, his support is as strong as ever among evangelicals and other conservative Christians.
B.C. pipeline company argues its 'haulers' are not trucks, for tax purposes
A contractor working on the Coastal GasLink pipeline has been denied more than $333,000 worth of tax rebates because pieces of machinery it purchased – and claimed were not trucks – were deemed sufficiently truck-like in B.C. Supreme Court.