A strike countdown is imminent if the University fails to reach an agreement with postdoctoral researchers.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), one of the largest unions in the country, represents over 240,000 workers nationwide, including local branches like PSAC 901, Unit 1, which serves Queen’s University. The union provides resources to Queen’s workers and is currently advocating for fair wages, healthcare, and relocation expense coverage in the Unit 2 bargaining agreements.
As of October, negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement between the University and PSAC 901, Unit 2—representing postdoctoral scholars—have been ongoing for a year. Meanwhile, Unit 1, representing graduate student workers, saw its contract expire on April 30 and has yet to receive any communication regarding the start of their bargaining negotiations.
PSAC 901 President Jake Morrow says the University were reluctant to give dates for bargaining over the summer and are refusing to move on key items including relocation expenses, fair wages, and healthcare.
READ MORE: Postdoctoral fellows still fighting for fair pay after a year of bargaining delays
Morrow indicated when negotiations reach a stage where no agreement is possible, either party can declare an ime, signifying that all reasonable negotiation efforts have been exhausted. The union has been attempting to present proposals they believe the University can accommodate regarding specific issues, yet the University hasn’t made any movement on key demands.
When employers and unionized employees cannot reach an agreement and negotiations to renew the collective agreement reach an ime, the Minister of Labour may appoint a conciliation officer, as stated by the Government of Ontario. Morrow says the University unilaterally applied for a conciliator, declaring its inability to agree with the union.
“The University chose to unilaterally apply for [conciliator], when the union was in the process of trying to find offers that work. The University decided that they would rather declare that there was an ime on their end,” Morrow said in an interview with The Journal.
The union is pushing for a fair wage, pointing out that the University of Toronto will introduce a minimum salary of $50,000 in March 2024. In comparison, Queen’s postdoctoral fellows had a base salary of only $35,958 in 2022, emphasizing the urgent need for change. The Tri-Council agency, a major funding body in Canada, has set a postdoctoral salary standard of $70,000. Morrow claims Queen’s is unwilling to meet this benchmark, keeping salaries at just over half that amount.
“We don’t see that as respectful for the contribution that postdocs make, but also just their need to pay bills. It’s not even about respecting the contribution to the research community at that point, when you’re at $34,000 it’s allowing people to put food on the table for their families, or not,” Morrow said in an interview with The Journal.
This situation compels postdocs to recognize their collective strength and consider potential job actions. To prepare, the union has organized five or six strike information sessions for postdocs, with more planned. These sessions aim to educate postdocs on the bargaining process, the logistics of striking, and what such actions would entail.
The need to take collective action is not new to Queen’s campus with other unions across campus, including United Steelworkers Local 2010 asking their to sign petitions urging the University istration to provide employees with fair wages and manageable workloads.
READ MORE: Unions across Queen’s University campus take steps to strike
“If things continue in the manner that they have with the university refusing to click on things, it can get to a situation where a strike vote gets called and postdocs will vote yes. […] The last resort is withdrawing job action. The University has put us in a position where we have to start preparing for that. As a result, the push continues until postdocs have a fair contract, and that’s all there is,” Morrow said.
Morrow says the union will continue to advocate tirelessly until the rights of postdoctoral fellows are recognized, and a mutually agreed-upon contract is established between the University and the postdocs, but if all else fails a strike will be inevitable.
Tags
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be ed, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to [email protected].