We are in the final week of the school year, and at McGill University the Teaching Assistants are beginning a strike today. The 1,100 members of the Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM) have been without a contract for a year.

I remember class sizes at McGill being very large and teaching assistants (TA’s) were given the responsibility of leading smaller discussion groups, often on a weekly basis. TA’s also helped the professors to grade papers and exams.

AGSEM is asking for smaller work loads and a pay increase. They are reminding their members that a fine of up to $1,000 per day can be imposed on both the university and the worker, should scab labour be used during the strike. Quebec’s labour code specifies that only management can replace striking TA’s, and only if they were appointed for the replacement during the negotiation phase before the strike began.

It would seem that perhaps McGill hasn’t appointed anyone to cover for the striking TA’s. This will not likely have much impact on classes, although review sessions to prepare students for final exams may be cancelled. Grading of final term papers and exams is more likely to be the significant outcome of the strike, and we may well see that grades are late being sent out to students as a result.

With the part time faculty at Concordia also on strike, it would appear that the city’s English university students are suffering for the inability of unions and management at both schools to come up with contracts.

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