The empty seats at the bargaining table speak volumes about the University’s sense of urgency—or lack of it—when it comes to reaching a collective agreement for postdoctoral students, says PSAC 901 President, Jake Morrow.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) is one of the largest unions in the country, with local branches such as PSAC 901, Unit 1. Representing over 240,000 workers nationwide, the union has resources to workers at Queen’s. For the Unit 2 bargaining agreements, the union is advocating for fair wages, healthcare, and coverage of relocation expenses.
As of October, the 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, which represents graduate student workers, saw their contract expire on April 30 and have yet to receive any communication about starting their bargaining negotiations.
READ MORE: Queen’s postdoctoral scholars bargaining for healthcare and fair wages
“I would say it’s active bargaining, but that’s not the case. The University has been so slow to bargain, they have refused to budge on a lot of issues that are central to our ,” Morrow said in an interview with The Journal.
Postdoctoral fellows, who have earned their doctorates, are facing salaries alarmingly close to Canada’s minimum wage. The union is advocating for a more respectable wage, noting the University of Toronto will implement a minimum salary of $50,000 starting in March 2024. In contrast, Queen’s postdoctoral fellows had a base salary of just $35,958 in 2022, highlighting the urgent need for change.
The Tri-Council agency, a key funding body in Canada, has established a postdoctoral fellow salary of $70,000. Morrow argues Queen’s is unwilling to meet this standard, saying some workers are hired at twice the salary of postdoctoral fellows, effectively forcing them into poverty.
“Queen’s University brings people over and pays them far less than they’re worth so that they can make larger profits off their research and teaching. […] The University is creating a system that is leaving postdocs in poverty, creating a two-tier system which pays some people far more than others,” Morrow said.
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Despite holding the highest degrees, these PhD graduates struggle to access healthcare for themselves.
“They [Queen’s] haven’t allowed postdocs to receive proper, adequate and dignified care. This is the type of stuff that postdocs are facing right now. These are doctors who can’t have doctors, and the University can give them healthcare, but they choose not to, for no reason,” Morrow said.
The union has urged the University to open Student Wellness Services (SWS) to postdoctoral fellows and Morrow can’t find any reason why this wouldn’t be feasible. While SWS is available for healthcare access to undergraduate and graduate students, it is not available to postdoctoral fellows.
“When we’re talking about postdocs, we’re talking about a population of 200 people. Compared to the many undergrads who come into the University each year, it’s within a range that would be unnoticeable to the university to allow postdocs to have access to healthcare, and they refuse,” Morrow said.
Another major concern in the bargaining negotiations is relocation expenses. Many postdoctoral fellows are coming from abroad, and they must uproot their entire lives to come to Queen’s, often working for far less than they deserve, Morrow says.
“We’re calling on the University to provide relocation expenses for postdocs. It’s a reasonable ask. This is something that the University provides to upper-level istration. […] When [Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic)] Matthew Evans relocated to Queen’s, he received a huge amount of relocation expenses,” Morrow said.
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When comparing what the University is withholding from postdoctoral fellows to the spending by senior istration, it becomes evident funds are being allocated to make those already wealthy more comfortable, rather than making a meaningful difference in the lives of postdoctoral fellows, Morrow said. The University’s refusal to engage in negotiations a year after the contract expired demonstrates a lack of urgency in addressing these needs, he added.
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