McGill law professors' strike suspended, students can go back to class

McGill University and the union representing its law professors have reached an agreement, allowing law students to return to class — at least temporarily.

The university and the union have agreed to suspend the strike, which was scheduled to begin today, following a threat from McGill to cancel the semester for its law faculty.

On Monday, due to stalled negotiations, McGill’s administration informed law students via email that courses taught by unionized professors would be canceled unless the union agreed to halt the strike.

In a statement released Tuesday morning, the Association of McGill Professors of Law (AMPL) announced it is suspending the strike after entering into a "process" with the university. The union noted that this process includes McGill joining other Quebec universities in recognizing faculty unions governed by collective agreements.

AMPL also confirmed that students will return to class "without any loss of credits or delay," emphasizing that both the professors and the university need to collaborate to prevent the strike from resuming on October 8.

The statement highlights that avoiding the strike depends on McGill working with AMPL to "create a way forward."

In a message to students this morning, McGill said both parties had agreed to suspend the strike until the meeting with the arbitrator on October 8. Classes are set to resume no later than October 3.

AMPL, certified in November 2022 by the provincial labour tribunal, has yet to secure its first collective agreement. Its professors have been on strike since late August, delaying the start of the semester.

On Monday, both professors and students criticized McGill for its threat to cancel classes, accusing the university of not negotiating in good faith. The university argued that starting classes two months into the semester would make it impossible to complete them on time.

What’s in the Deal?

Both sides are working toward a "federated" approach to collective agreements, aiming to finalize this structure before the meeting with the arbitrator.

The law faculty is the first group of professors at McGill to unionize, although most non-faculty staff are already unionized. McGill had previously challenged the AMPL's right to unionize in court.

On Monday, McGill said it would drop its legal challenge if the union agreed to negotiate working conditions collectively with other employee associations at the university.

In its Tuesday statement, AMPL mentioned that both sides are working on terms that could include McGill withdrawing its legal challenges not only against AMPL’s certification but also against the certifications of other faculty unions, such as the Association of McGill Professors of Education (AMPE) and the Association of McGill Professors of the Faculty of Arts (AMPFA).

"It took McGill a long time to return to the bargaining table, but once it did, AMPL was prepared to find practical solutions to address McGill's stated concerns," said Kirsten Anker, a McGill law professor and vice-president of AMPL.

"We are excited to return to the classroom and do what we love: Teach."