Dear student community,
Since April 26 of this year, the unionized professors of the Association of McGill Professors of Law (AMPL) have been on an unlimited strike, driven by McGill’s refusal to engage meaningfully in negotiations and the failure to reach a collective agreement since AMPL’s accreditation in 2022 (2022 QCTAT 5216). Classes are now suspended, leaving students in limbo. Instead of resolving the conflict, McGill’s administration has delayed and failed to attend negotiation sessions. In addition, McGill challenges AMPL’s existence through a hearing set in December 2024, and opted to wait for an arbitrator to intervene in order to lift the strike rather than collaborating.
The root of this crisis lies in McGill’s current administration’s disregard for the right of workers to unionize, further evidenced by their breach of the labour code while failing to appear in court to defend their position (2024 QCTAT 3148). Their conduct reveals a prioritization of their own interests over students’ needs, leaving students to suffer the consequences of their inaction. The repercussions witnessed at McGill’s Faculty of Law— suspended classes, months-long transcript delays, issues with job applications, scholarships, graduations, immigration status, and severe mental health impacts – could soon be felt on a much larger scale, as other unions are forming across McGill. McGill’s present approach – treating students as mere collateral damage – sets a concerning precedent.
The SSMU and the Law Students’ Association of McGill University denounce McGill’s administration’s inflexibility. The resolution of this conflict is pressing, and students feel abandoned by their University. Therefore, we call on McGill to finally recognize AMPL as a legitimate faculty union and to promptly return to the negotiation table with a genuine intention to reach a collective agreement.
Signed,
The SSMU Executive Committee
The LSA Executive Council
