Dear Members, AMURE’s Annual General Meeting is June 19th 2025 at 5:30pm over zoom.

The agenda is as follows:

• Call to Order
• Adoption of Agenda
• Adoption of Minutes from last general assembly (June 19th 2024)
• AMURE Updates
• Budget presentations
  1. 2024 report
  2. 2025 proposed budget
  3. Financial Resolution 1
• Bylaws ammendment C-1
• Election of Executive (To see descriptions of the positions, please view the bylaws)
  • 1. Research and Member Education Coordinator
  • 2. Steward Network Coordinator
• Election of Board Members (12 board members)
• Election of health and safety representative
• Election of auditors (2)
• Adjournment

Dear Members, AMURE’s Annual General Meeting is October 24th at 5:30pm over zoom.

The agenda is as follows:

• Call to Order
• Adoption of Agenda
• Adoption of Minutes from last general assembly (October 24th 2023)
• AMURE Updates
• Budget presentations
  1. 2023 report
  2. 2024 proposed budget
• Election of Executive (To see descriptions of the positions, please view the bylaws)
  • President
  • Grievances Coordinator
  • Treasurer
  • Member Communication Coordinator
  • Mobilization and Outreach Coordinator
  • Steward Network Coordinator
• Election of Board Members (12 board members)
• Election of health and safety representative
• Election of auditors (2)
• Adjournment

Pay Increases in June 2024

Effective June 1, 2024, research assistants 1 and research assistants 2 will receive a 2.5% economic increase to their hourly pay rate, and research associates will receive a 4.5% increase. This is equivalent to a horizontal move on each respective salary scale, within a single step, from the June 2023 rate to the June 2024 rate.

In addition, research assistants and associates who began working in their position prior to December 31, 2023 and who receive a successful evaluation from their supervisor will also receive a professional advancement increase of 2.5%. This is equivalent to a vertical move on the salary scale, from one step to the next, within the June 2024 rate. If they have not already, your supervisor should provide you with a copy of the employee evaluation form for you to sign and should submit it to Human Resources prior to June 1.

In lieu of these cost of living and professional advancement increases, research assistants and associates who are paid at a rate above the maximum of the salary scale will receive a lump sum payment equivalent to 2.5% of their salary.

For more detailed information on pay increases and salary scales, please refer to the collective agreement. If you have questions about your specific situation, please contact Sean Cory (sean.cory@aerum-amure.ca).

Upcoming Holidays

A reminder to all full-time and part-time AMURE members that you are entitled to paid leave for the upcoming statutory holidays on Monday May 20, Monday June 24, and Monday July 1.  Casual employees receive an indemnity for holidays on top of their pay. More information on statutory holidays can be found in the collective agreement and on McGill’s website.

We have recently become aware of an issue with how holiday time is calculated for part time employees. So, if you are a part-time employee, please check your pay stubs that include a holiday. If you have received a lower-than-expected salary for a pay that includes a holiday, please contact Sean Cory (sean.cory@aerum-amure.ca). We are looking into this issue.

Summer Fridays

Summer Fridays for all full-time and part-time research assistants and associates will begin on Friday, June 21. The full schedule of Summer Fridays can be found on the University website. If you are required to work on a Summer Friday, you are entitled to either equivalent time off on another day or overtime pay. If you are a part-time employee, you will be entitled to Summer Fridays on a pro-rated basis – that is, you are entitled to time off equivalent to one fifth of your weekly working hours.

AMURE Tip of the Month: FTQ Fonds RRSP+

The Fédération des travailleurs et travailleueses du Québec (FTQ) is Quebec’s largest central labour body. The FTQ manages the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, which aims to contribute to economic growth in Quebec by investing in businesses across all sectors of the Quebec economy. Quebec taxpayers can purchase shares in the Fonds, which are eligible as registered retirement savings program (RRSP) contributions through the Fonds RRSP+ program. As such, any contributions to the RRSP+ program are tax deductible. In addition, the federal and provincial governments each offer a 15% tax credit for any shares purchased within the RRSP+ program, up to a maximum contribution of $5,000 per year. That means that someone who purchases $5,000 of Fonds shares in a given year through the RRSP+ program will benefit from $1,500 in tax savings ($750 at the Quebec provincial level and another $750 at the federal level). This is in addition to the tax deduction they will benefit from that all RRSP holders are eligible for, the value of which depends on their marginal tax rate.

There are two ways to contribute to the Fonds RRSP+: via preauthorized bank withdrawals or employer payroll deductions. However, due to the popularity of the RRSP+ program, the Fonds has halted all new contributions via preauthorized bank withdrawals. McGill employees are in luck though, as the University offers payroll deductions for the RRSP+ program. If you would like to benefit from the program and the tax savings that accompany it, you would first need to create an account on the Fonds website, and then set up payroll deductions through your account. The amount you choose will then be deducted from each biweekly paycheck. You can choose whether to benefit immediately from the tax deduction and credit at the time of each biweekly withdrawal, or to benefit from them when completing your tax return each year instead.

AMPL Strike

The Association of McGill Professors of Law (AMPL) have been on strike since April 24 to pressure McGill to negotiate a collective agreement in good faith. To show our support, AMURE board members voted during the last board meeting to provide AMPL with $1,500 in solidarity funds. If you would also like to show your support, you are welcome to join their picket lines, however briefly, anytime during the day on Wednesdays or Fridays on the lawn at 3644 rue Peel, in front of the Faculty of Law. There are also briefer picket lines on other weekdays between 8:15 am and 10:15 am, right outside the doors of the law library at the same address.

Support for McGill’s Floor Fellows

In February 2024, McGill decided to abolish the job position of floor fellows – older students who live in McGill residences and provide support to younger, first-year students. This move affects 65 floor fellows unionized under The Association of McGill University Support Employees (AMUSE). The University has decided to replace these positions with 45 residence life facilitator positions, which floor fellows can apply to. However, floor fellows argue that since residence life facilitators don’t live in the dormitories, the support that floor fellows provide remains unmatched. If you would like to support the floor fellows in their attempts to pressure the University, you can sign an open letter they have created that sends an email to Provost Fabrice Labeau with each signature.

Retroactive Pay

Research assistants and research associates should have received retroactive pay on the pay of Thursday December 7. Although some issues concerning retroactive pay have been resolved since our last newsletter on December 23, others remain outstanding. AMURE President Sean Cory has filed grievances concerning the outstanding issues and is in continuous discussion with McGill to resolve them.  

For more detailed information on eligibility for retroactive pay and what it is supposed to include, please refer to the collective agreement. If you have questions about your specific situation, please contact Sean (sean.cory@aerum-amure.ca).

Holiday Vacation Days

A reminder to all full-time and part-time AMURE members that you are entitled to paid leave for 2 upcoming statutory holidays on Friday, March 29 and Monday, April 1. Casual employees receive an indemnity for holidays on top of their pay. More information on statutory holidays can be found in the collective agreement and on McGill’s website.

AMURE Tip of the Month: McGill Pension Plan

Employer-sponsored pension plans are considered an important component of an employee’s compensation package and aim to provide income during retirement, supplementing amounts received from government programs such as the Quebec Pension Plan (QPP) and Old Age Security (OAS). Research employees at McGill are encouraged to join the McGill Pension Plan, membership in which becomes mandatory for full-time employees after 5 years of continuous service. While full and part-time research employees can opt in as of their start date, casual employees must wait until they have worked 700 hours or earned 35% of the annual maximum pensionable earnings (which for 2024 is $68,500).

Research employees who joined the McGill Pension Plan on or after January 1, 2009 are part of a defined contribution plan. In such a plan, the employee and employer each contribute a certain amount to the plan each pay period. The employee is offered a range of investment options in which they can invest their contributions. When the employee retires, they can use the amount accumulated in their plan to pay themselves a retirement income. The amount accumulated will depend on the contributions they have made over the years, and the investment gains those contributions have achieved.

Contribution rates for McGill employees who have joined the pension plan vary based on employee age. Up until the age of 39, employees are required to contribute a minimum of 5% of their basic earnings, less the 1.8% of earnings that are subject to QPP contributions. The employee’s taxable income is reduced by the amount of their contributions, reducing their tax owing for that year. In addition, McGill matches the employee’s contributions dollar for dollar, up to the maximum of 5% of their basic earnings. These matched contributions from McGill are a form of compensation that the employee will miss out on if they opt out of the pension plan during their first 5 years at McGill. As employee age increases beyond 39, minimum required contributions increase to 7% (up to age 49) and 8% (up to age 65) of basic earnings, with McGill matching increasing to 7.5% and 10% for these two age groups.

McGill employees’ pension accounts are managed by Sun Life Financial. If you have already opted into the McGill Pension Plan, you can view your account balance and manage your investment portfolio by logging into Sun Life here. If you have not yet created a Sun Life account, please refer to this document for information on how to do so. If you wish to opt into the McGill Pension Plan, you can do so via your Workday account. Detailed information on the McGill Pension Plan and how to opt into it can be found here and here. Those webpages also provide information on the Defined benefit plan which was available to employees prior to 2009.

Professors’ Strike

Law Professors at McGill University recently made headlines as the first faculty members to ever stage a strike in McGill’s history. The Association of McGill Professors of Law (AMPL), which became the first faculty union at McGill in 2022, held a one-day strike on February 13 to pressure McGill to negotiate a collective agreement in good faith. According to representatives of AMPL, McGill has refused to meet with AMPL’s bargaining team on a regular basis, has slowed down meetings when they do occur, and insists on simply referring to McGill Policies in the collective agreement, which would in effect allow it to make unilateral changes to professors’ working conditions at any time, defeating the purpose of any collective agreement. You can read more about the strike in the McGill Tribune, Newswire, and AMPL’s website.

FTQ annual seminar

The Fédération des travailleurs et travailleueses du Québec (FTQ) is holding their annual retirement and insurance seminar on March 20-21. Members interested in attending can check out this link.

AMURE Member Benefits

McGill research employees are entitled to benefits and discounts through their affiliation to the University and as members of AMURE. These include:

• A 15% discount for VIA Rail Canada leisure trips for McGill staff members and up to 3 additional people traveling with the staff member.
• Union Savings discounts in various categories, including insurance, entertainment, travel, home, sports and leisure, fashion, services, electronics, and beauty products. Please note that to benefit from Union Savings you will need to create an account, indicating PSAC as your affiliated union.
• PSAC-Quebec member benefits, including discounts at certain hotels.
• Free $10,000 life insurance from PSAC.
• Exclusive group rates for home and auto insurance with The Personal.