The Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM) held a demonstration on Wednesday to protest the way that the McGill administration is handling negotiations with AGSEM’s TA bargaining unit.
Protesters dressed in formalwear handed out cupcakes, referencing an event where Principal Heather Munroe-Blum served cupcakes in the Shatner building in celebration of James McGill’s birthday.
“We wondered what it would look like if the McGill administration had to support their bargaining platform through public demonstrations,” AGSEM VP External Sheldon Brandt stated in a press release.
TAs have been in negotiations with McGill since May. The bargaining unit’s demands include a 3 per cent wage increase, an increase in the number of TA hours, and access to paid training. TAs voted on October 19 to approve pressure tactics against the administration.
– Queen Arsem-O’Malley