McGill University’s striking teaching assistants and their friends will host a “Shame-On-The-Admin” rally at the Roddick Gates at noon to 3:30 pm today, May 30. The Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM), on strike since April 8, will be joined by members, allies and other groups at McGill who have suffered at the hands of an administration that governs without regard for social justice, labour law or campus harmony.
A string trio will help welcome Arts students, graduates and their parents to the campus for spring convocation during the festive rally. These guests will be informed of how the current administration has compromised the educational mission of the university. Tables for various groups will be set up to present information and respond to questions.
The 1100 teaching assistants on strike at McGill have faced a series of administration manoeuvres, including dismissals from unrelated on-campus jobs, public insults and bad faith negotiations, that have created a vast amount of ill will at the university. No negotiations have taken place since May 16, though a meeting is scheduled for next week. The two sides remain deadlocked, among others, over wages and a cap on the number of students in discussion groups led by teaching assistants.
“Convocation is a proud moment for teaching assistants, too,” said AGSEM President Richard Hink. «We see our own hard work every time one of our students walks across the stage. We welcome parents to stop by and learn more about how the administration is treating those who have helped their children succeed».
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