Some of you are aware of the ongoing TA #strike at #McGill , and it pains me to see the administration is succeeding in actively dividing undergraduates, graduate #students , and #professors alike, by pushing all three to the absolute mental limit. We - and by that I mean all three above - must NOT let the administration tear the social fabric in our #university to put money before people. When the #union says "united we bargain, divided we beg," it means not just them, but everyone. 1/

#Montreal

The #university has demanded the #faculty to #scab - that is, to perform tasks usually delegated to the TAs, such as grading - despite being in a jurisdiction that explicitly prohibits scabbing. This puts every #professor between a rock and a hard place: by scabbing, they break the law and betray the #students ; by not scabbing, they lose their job (most are not unionized here, and although it is wrongful dismissal, one simply cannot afford the lawsuit) and also betray the students. 2/

The existence of the law empowered the #union and many sympathizing #students , who are often unaware of the #professor 's situation, to be over-passionate vigilantes for #scab behaviour. Classes were disrupted due to perceived scabbing*, and there are increasing speculation on the technicalities regarding what does and does not constitute scabbing. This further limits the options that #professors have and creates an atmosphere that encourages witchhunting. 3/

* https://reddit.com/r/mcgill/comments/1boobr2/biol301_lab_ta_strike/kwve5yz/

#Students are also hurting: undergraduates lose support for succeeding in courses and become increasingly frustrated with grades, while graduates lose their income, especially since the #university has also suspended every striking TA from their concurrent positions. We are also in the dark, as the administration never communicates to us about the progress of the negotiation, other than to demand #picket lines to cease. I am hearing more and more expletives on the picket line now. 4/

Today, as the #strike coincides with a pro-Palestinian #protest , more classes were reportedly disrupted. The administration condemned both picketers and protesters, painting both as the wrong, as they emphasize that "[p]olice made at least one arrest and the University has chosen to press charges" without specifying. There were more #students complaining about why random classes were being unfairly disturbed. And that is how the student body is being torn apart. 5/

It's not the first time the administration displays their strong neglect: when they challenged the establishment of the two faculty #unions in court, when they sent out bulletins condemning any pro-Palestinian action, when they ignored indigenous concerns for the Royal Vic project, so on so forth. But this one will be felt across the #McGill #academic community, as they insist on a scortched-earth policy in order to justify never taking us seriously ever again. We must stop them. 6/