For the First Time in 200 Years, McGill Professors of Law are Unionizing (or Attempting to)

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You might have skipped this news, as so much is going on. But it's huge (!)-- McGill law profs are unionizing (!!!!!), which is unprecedented in the 200 years of this university's history. Although that piece of information is incomplete: McGill law profs voted to constitute a union, and are currently seeking certification at the Tribunal administratif du travail... with McGill administration opposing it. So far, Provost Manfredi spent almost two full hearing days contesting the certification, on rather shaky grounds, and Dean Leckey is set to contest on the next hearing date, February 14th, 2022. Quite disheartening that it is our student fees $$$$$$ that are most likely covering their opposition. We sat down for a hour-long conversation with Professor Evan Fox-Decent, interim President of the Association of McGill Professors of Law. Many topics were covered, among which a compelling explanation of the labour procedure our profs are engaged in, what a shift from a servant/master employment relationship to a union would mean for our profs and our faculty, and how a profs union might very well align with students' interest by decentralizing governance.