For three weeks and counting, the strike by more than 2,000 Graduate Teaching Assistants (TAs), Research Assistants (RAs), and Fellows has left undergrads who rely on their guidance feeling alone.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) 901, Unit 1, went on strike on March 10, after failing to reach a tentative agreement to renew their Collective Agreement with the University. Ever since, the intersection of University Ave. and Union St. has become a stage for protest, with graduate students’ voices rising in a storm of chants, whistles, and music against the University.
Meanwhile, these chants are echoing through empty classrooms as some professors cancel lectures in solidarity, while many students the picket lines, standing with graduate workers in their fight for fair treatment.
Alex McDonald, ArtSci ‘26, is experiencing the tangible impacts of the strike, feeling a deep sense of concern, frustration, and anxiety over how the remainder of her semester will be affected.
“My frustration and disappointment during these times is targeted towards the istration who fail to consider the needs of the students who form Queens University,” McDonald said in an interview with The Journal. “My biggest concern is the unfair re-weighting of assignments and retroactive restructuring of courses.”
With exams quickly approaching, McDonald, a politics, philosophy, and economics student, is unsure of whether any of her assignments or exams will be graded. She feels great frustration with the situation of chaos it has placed her in.
“As a student who attended every tutorial, it’s unfair that my effort isn’t being recognized. In the coming weeks, I will continue to write essays and study for exams without knowing whether my efforts will be rewarded,” McDonald said. “It’s appalling that the University is willing to throw TAs and students under the bus and I’m deeply concerned and disappointed in the University’s lack of care for students’ well-being and future careers.”
Despite the frustration McDonald faces in the wake of the strike, she finds herself having overwhelming for the strike.
“I the strike 100 per cent. Despite the strike causing uncomfortable uncertainty and stress on students, ultimately, graduate students have the right to a living wage,” McDonald said.
“Graduate students deserve to be appropriately compensated for the work they do, not only to afford to live, but to ensure Queen’s University research and teaching can be held to a high standard,” McDonald said.
Rising frustration among undergraduates over the University’s handling of the strike led one student to write a Undergraduate Open Letter to Queen’s istration. Eden Natovitch, ArtSci ’26, created the open letter for undergraduate students but didn’t respond to The Journal in time for publication.
The letter expresses undergraduate students concerns about the change in quality of education students have received because of the strike and urges the University to resume negotiations with PSAC 901, Unit 1 immediately. The letter expresses concerns about “unfair re-weighting and cancellations of assignments, labs, and tutorials, and pro-rated grades that will disadvantage [students] when applying for graduate and professional programs.”
On March 26, an undergraduate Zoom strategy meeting took place to inform students how they can best pressure Queen’s istration to “get back to the table.”
“There has been a sense of confusion about how undergraduates can the TAs and pressure the istration, however in recent days I have heard about students taking action in the form of petitions and recruiting parents to email the provost expressing their alarm,” McDonald said.
The impacts and stress of the strike extend beyond students. Professors have also expressed their frustration with the University’s mishandling of the ongoing strike.
An Open Letter from Queen’s Faculty on PSAC 901 Strike has circulated amongst Queen’s professors and faculty . The Journal spoke with several signatories to understand why they’re choosing to stand in solidarity with the graduate students on the picket line.
The letter expresses feelings of frustration on behalf of the QCAA, where signatories are “dismayed that the University has opted to sacrifice our student’s education rather than bargaining in good faith for a fair agreement with the graduate workers who keep the University running.” The ;etter goes into further detail about inadequacy of graduate student’s funding packages, refusal to engage in meaningful negotiations, and the risks current funding presents for attracting future graduate students.
In an interview with The Journal, Fauzia Husain, assistant professor of in the Department of Sociology at Queen’s University, explained she signed the letter because she agrees with its content while also wanting to graduate students and signal for the University to resolve the dispute.
“I signed because I believe in the accuracy and righteousness of the acts of PSAC 901,” Ayca Tomac, assistant professor in the Department of Global Development Studies, said in an interview with The Journal.
Since Tomac’s work involves lecturing large courses, each one is currently on hold due to the absence of TAs.
“The void they have left in the Queen’s community isn’t fillable,” Tomac said.
“Certainly, the strike has affected us all and my main motivation for g the letter was to ensure that negotiations resume, since at the time that I signed, the parties were not communicating, which hurts us all,” Ryan Martin, associate professor and chair of undergraduate studies in the Department of Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy, wrote in a statement to The Journal.
For Lisa Guenther, a professor in the Department of Philosophy and Queen’s National Scholar, g the letter was a matter of necessity.
“I literally would be unable to teach my undergraduate courses without TAs,” Guenther said in an interview with The Journal. “Without TAs, I am unable to complete my research, and if I can’t complete my research, then I can’t be an effective teacher.”
For professors, g the Open Letter is just a small part of their broader displays of and frustration towards the University. Since the strike began, Tomac hasn’t been in the classroom. She describes her alternative teaching methods, including holding one class on the picket line, conducting online check-ins, and, in some cases, canceling class entirely, all while showing for graduate students.
READ MORE: Professors swap lectures for picket lines in ongoing PSAC 901 strike
“Students seem extremely anxious, especially those preparing to graduate this year, as the situation has created significant uncertainty and confusion. As a professor, I share in that uncertainty,” Tomac shared.
Guenther has also canceled regular lectures since the strike has begun to show solidarity for graduate students. For Guenther, bringing students to the picket line is an opportunity to reflect what students want the University to be and the importance of the intellectual labour.
A common concern expressed by most professors was not only about providing students with grades, but also the broader implications the strike poses for students’ learning, both in their undergraduate and graduate careers.
“We talk about what TAs give us, but I was a TA myself. When you teach you learn and we need to see TAs as someone at the University we are responsible to train,” Husain said.
For Tomac, grades are simply one part of the educational process, with serving as a vital pedagogical tool for students to understand their strengths and weaknesses.
“We talk about grades, but . We’re not doing assessments just for the grades. It’s a pedological tool to learn to see why they got things right and wrong and my class is losing the most important leg of the course right now. Students can feel this pressure,” Tomac said.
Norma Möllers, associate professor in the Department of Sociology, said credit standing is a critical concern for undergraduate students wanting to pursue graduate careers.
“The istration is basically trying to get us to apply blanket credit statements to where courses have not been graded which would be detrimental for students. We would prefer to give our students fair grades. Right now, the istration is preventing us from doing so,” Möellers said in an interview with The Journal.
Guenther’s concern isn’t just about producing credentials, but rather about the direction of Principal Patrick Dean’s “Bicentennial Vision,” which she believes risks turning the University into a technical institution with only a general humanities program.
READ MORE: Principal Patrick Deane shares vision for University’s 200th birthday
Concern’s expressed by Guenther reflect a broader trend of unease among faculty, as the strike forces many to reassess Queen’s long-term direction and its commitment to both graduate and undergraduate students.
“What needs to happen is the fight for the future of the University as we know it. The University is an ecosystem. When one part of that ecosystem isn’t thriving, people are having to make budget choices, we all suffer and we get out of balance—lose perspective of why we’re here in the first place,” Guenther said.
“The hardest thing for me is that I really care about undergrad and grad students equally. I’ve been filled with anxiety about what to do. What do I do to both groups? The University istration has not been coming to the table in a serious and respectful way,” Guenther said.
For Guenther, without TA , she says “it’s impossible to carry on, and the University’s assistance hasn’t been helpful.”
On the , the University announced on March 26 that Queen’s is committed to ing students as they complete the Winter 2025 term, students will receive a grade or credit for all courses, and convocation will proceed as scheduled.
“I feel like this strike is both about the specific issue of fair wages, living wages, tuition relief, affordable housing, for childcare. For me, it’s also about the future of the University,” Guenther said.
Tomac is concerned about the future of graduate culture at Queen’s, where the lack of action on behalf of the University during pressing times of negotiation may turn future and current students away from the institution.
“We’re bleeding potential brilliance in this institution,” Tomac said.
When asked what the University could be doing differently, Tomac chuckled. She believes “the union is doing the union’s job” but “this mess is on the istration.” The solution for Tomac is simple. “This strike could be resolved tonight if they would just come to the table,” Tomac said.
As the University maintains its official stance on the Labour News webpage, faculty are left grappling with the strike’s tangible effects on students’ well-being and academic stability.
Husain explained the strike has disrupted her students’ routines, leading to significant mental health challenges for both undergraduates and graduates. She expressed her struggle to her students without crossing the picket line, noting that the institution seems indifferent to their concerns
“It’s sobering to hear that tenured professors are as impacted and distressed by the actions of the istration. Conversations among my peers have been tainted with concern and disappointment in the University,” McDonald said.
McDonald is skeptical about the validity of this claim, experiencing overwhelming stress over whether she will receive a fair grade in each of her classes, despite her hard work the entire semester
In response to the University’s announcement on March 26, PSAC 901 posted a letter titled: “Queen’s University Posturing, Bad Faith Bargaining, and Final Grades Scam.” The letter expressed frustration with the decisions made by the University in providing grades based on incomplete assignments and that the decision illustrates how Queen’s disrespect the work of graduate and undergraduate students.
According to their Labour News release, the University presented the PSAC bargaining team with a comprehensive offer on Sunday, March 9, prior to the strike deadline. This offer includes annual across-the-board increases of three per cent / 2.25 per cent / 2.25 per cent which align with recently ratified settlements at Queen’s.
“We’re disappointed that the union elected to strike and has still not responded to Queen’s last offer,” Queen’s said in the same release.
According to PSAC 901, the union reached out to Queen’s on March 25 at 1:29 p.m. with a request to return to the negotiation table, which was rejected by the employer’s bargaining team. No mention of a request from PSAC 901 to return to the bargaining table can be found in the University’s Labour News release.
The Journal interviewed graduate students on the picket line, surrounded by the roar of ing cars, the shrill blasts of whistles, and the rhythmic chants of determined voices. Julia Tropak, a PhD student in the Department of Chemistry expressed frustration, saying Queen’s won’t consider bargaining with PSAC 901 or in good faith.
“These actions are really insulting and disappointing frankly and is the biggest reasons why I am [at the picket lines] every day,” Tropak said.
As a result of the strike, the largest pressure Tropak faces right now is balancing research and advocacy.
“I came to graduate school to be a researcher, and that’s what my main job should be,” she said. “I understand that being a TA is part of the job, and I enjoy and miss it a lot during these times. But the fact that I have to be here every day showing Queen’s that they’re not meeting our pressing needs and bargaining in good faith, is super frustrating.”
While Tropak would like to dedicate eight hours a day to her research, the reality is far from that. Instead, she’s often working 12-hour days, or longer, between the picket line and research, which she expressed has been incredibly draining. Despite the long hours, she still faces the challenge of balancing her research with the added stress of picketing. Her commitment to graduating is unwavering, but the strike has only intensified the strain of managing everything on top of the disruption.
“We’re all putting our all into it,” Tropak said. “Striking is the last thing we want to be doing. We want to be in the lab. We want to be teaching future generations. We want to be encouraging curiosity in the lab and tutorial, but we’re here because it’s necessary for us to continue living.”
Josh Innis, MSc ’29, juggles picketing with the demands of his own research.
“I’ve gotten a lot of from students specifically in chemistry and a lot of them actually come to the picket line and hand up fliers with us, like hangout with us, stuff like that, which is really nice,” Innis said in an interview with The Journal.
“A fair contract is a contract that neither side loves, and there’ll obviously be compromises that need to be made on both sides, but we haven’t received any voice from the union bargaining team at all, so it seems like Queen’s doesn’t care that we’re out here,” Innis said.
***
“At the bare minimum the University must re-enter into negotiations, it’s critical they demonstrate leadership and care for their employees and students,” McDonald said.
“Additionally, the University has a responsibility to financially compensate students for the loss of education and take action to ensure all students complete their courses with a fair representation of their hard work.”
McDonald its that prior to the graduate student strike, she wasn’t educated on the labour policies of the University. The strike has certainly raised her awareness to these issues.
“As a politics student, this situation strikes me as yet another example of an abuse of power in an already pressured and uncertain political climate,” McDonald said.
The ongoing strike has caused widespread frustration across Queen’s, with both students and professors expressing significant concern over the disruption to academic routines.
Students like McDonald are grappling with the uncertainty of their grades, while professors, like Tomac and Husain, teeter the challenge of teaching and standing in solidarity with grad students.
As the strike continues, the strain on both academic performance and mental health remains a pressing issue for all involved.
Corrections
A prior version of this story incorrectly stated the Zoom undergraduate strategy meeting was organized by of Queen’s Coalition Against Austerity.
The Journal regrets the error
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].