The Collective Agreement of PSAC 901 Unit 1, representing Graduate students working as Teaching Assistants, Research Assistants, and Teaching Fellows at Queen’s, expired on April 30, 2024. Since the Union formally notified the university of their intention to bargain for a new contract on April 9, 2024, Queen’s took seven months to get to the negotiation table, only to appear underprepared and slow to respond. In January 2025, the Union filed for conciliation in hopes of reaching a tentative agreement. Unfortunately, Queen’s representatives have rejected all monetary proposals put forth by the Union’s team. Given the prolonged hardships faced by graduate workers, the Union called for a strike mandate vote, which took place from February 11 to 14, 2025, and has successfully secured both the highest turnout and strongest Strike Mandate in the Union’s history. Our membership’s willingness to take job action, as well as Queen’s ongoing attitude of defiance and disrespect at the bargaining table, led the Union to immediately request a “No Board Report” be filed by the Ministry of Labour. Conciliators from the Ministry have granted an official Strike Deadline of March 10, 2025, at 12:01 am.
The university has repeatedly disregarded critical issues such as poverty wages, funding packages that have remained stagnant for decades, and rampant food and housing insecurity faced by graduate workers. According to the Graduate Funding Guide from the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs at Queen’s University, a full-time PhD candidate receives a guaranteed minimum funding package of only $23,000 per year, which is available for up to four years. For comparison, a full-time minimum wage earner in Ontario makes approximately $36,000 annually. There is no minimum funding support for Master’s students at Queen’s, and each student worker must pay back tuition to Queen’s, which starts at $7,308.73 per year, depending on the program and immigration status.
Picket location:
101 Union St, Kingston, ON