MONTREAL

UdeM upset over union comparing rector to Gilligan's Island character

The Canadian Press Published Tuesday, March 6, 2018 3:01PM EST

The cast of "Gilligan's Island," including at left, Russell Johnson, as the professor, pose during filming of a two-hour reunion show, "The Return from Gilligan's Island," in Los Angeles in this Oct. 2, 1978 file photo. (AP / Wally Fong)

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A Montreal university and one of its unions will sit down with a mediator Wednesday to discuss a flyer in which the institution's rector was compared to the captain on "Gilligan's Island."

Montreal La Presse is reporting the issue goes back to 2015 when unionized students employed in research projects as well as technical and teaching assistants at Universite de Montreal were negotiating a new collective agreement.

In a court filing, the university says the students' union, which is affiliated with the Public Service Alliance of Canada, published a leaflet in which rector Guy Breton is shown in a sailor's hat.

The handout asks who is in charge of the boat, if there is a captain on board and whether negotiations are hidden on "Gilligan's Island" -- a reference to the popular TV series that ran during the 1960s.

The Universite de Montreal has issued a statement saying it took the legal route to avoid further personal attacks on its representatives.

It notes that since the events in question arose, a new collective agreement has been reached and the parties involved have agreed to meet with a mediator to reach an out-of-court settlement.