Sick Leave
Are you feeling unwell and unable to go into work? Quebec law guarantees you a minimum of 2 sick days per year. However, there is no maximum number of sick days stipulated in our collective agreement, and it’s up to your supervisor to grant them when needed. You should also know that short-term disability kicks in for regular (non-casual) employees after 2 consecutive days off due to illness. Short-term disability can also be used after several non-consecutive days off due to the same condition, for example if you suffer from sporadic migraines. To receive this benefit, you need to have a physician complete a statement of disability. Please don’t hesitate to contact us any time you’re facing uncertainty when it comes to sick leave.
Workplace Injuries
Any injury sustained while at work or on McGill premises is recognized as a work-related accident and is eligible for compensation. For example, a fall injury is covered if it occurred at McGill, even if not where you usually perform your tasks. This insurance covers loss of salary if you need time off work, as well as compensation if the injury is permanent. You can refer to the collective agreement and the CNESST website for more information on your rights regarding work-related accidents. Please contact us as soon as possible in the event you sustain an injury while on McGill premises.
Vacation Time
The annual paid vacation amount for non-casual AMURE members resets each year on June 1st. The amount of paid vacation you are entitled to increases with the number of years you have worked at McGill. If you have been in continuous service at McGill for less than a year, you are entitled to one quarter of a week (1.25 days) for each complete month of service as of May 31st. This increases to 3 weeks, 4, weeks, and 5 weeks of annual paid vacation once you have been in continuous service for 1 year, 3 years, and 7 years as of May 31st, respectively.
Holiday Vacation Days
All regular AMURE members are entitled to paid leave for 3 paid statutory holidays (Dec 25, 26, and Jan 1), an additional 3 days between Christmas and New Year’s Day, and to a sixth floating day to be taken during the University’s Christmas break.
Summer Fridays
Research assistants and associates are entitled to nine paid Summer Fridays each year. These will be scheduled as specified on the University’s website, with one of the nine days to be taken over the winter break in December. 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 are 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.
Overtime
Full-time research assistants and associates typically work between 35 and 40 hours a week. Any overtime beyond the hours stipulated in your contract should be approved in advance by your supervisor. If you do work beyond your usual 35-40 hours, you are entitled to compensation, which can be in the form of equivalent time off or extra pay at your hourly rate. The choice of the form of compensation is at the discretion of your supervisor. If you have worked more than 40 hours, the additional hours are eligible for compensation at a rate of 1.5, that is, 1.5 hours of time off for every hour worked over 40, or 1.5 times your hourly rate for every hour worked over 40. The overtime policy is described in the collective agreement. You can also contact us if you have any questions or concerns regarding this policy.
Harassment
All employees are entitled to a work environment free from harassment, threats, coercion, or discrimination on the basis of race, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, civil status, age, religion, political convictions, language, ethnic or national origin, social condition, or disability. Psychological harassment can be in the form of repeated and hostile or unwanted conduct, verbal comments, actions, or gestures that affect dignity or psychological or physical integrity. Sexual harassment refers to any unwanted or imposed sexual advance, be it written, verbal, iconographic, or through body language. If you have experienced harassment at McGill University in any form or have any questions, please contact us to ensure your rights are protected. You can also refer to the collective agreement, McGill’s policies on sexual violence and harassment and discrimination, McGill’s Office for Mediation and Reporting, and the CNESST website for more information regarding your rights on this matter.
Educational Assistance
McGill’s Educational Assistance Policy and its Staff Dependent Tuition Waiver Policy also apply to full-time research assistants and associates who have completed 60 worked days. That means that you are entitled to a tuition waiver for any credit courses you are enrolled in at McGill as a special student or that you are taking as part of a McGill degree, diploma or certificate program. Your dependents are also entitled to a tuition waiver equivalent to two-thirds of the Quebec tuition fee once enrolled in a degree, diploma, or credit certificate program at McGill. You can learn more about these policies here and here.
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.
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.
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 rates with The Personal.