Faculty unions are essential to the higher ed mission. And they’re under threat.

To the editors,

Unions are essential to building strong, cohesive universities where research and critical thought thrive because professors and students are secure and protected. While negotiations are sometimes strained, they result in greater consensus, enabling universities to fulfill their role of improving and transmitting knowledge for generations to come.

More recently, however, lengthy strikes, protracted negotiations, and anti-union conduct have become increasingly common not only in the United States but on the campus of McGill University in Canada. University administrators at McGill are fighting tooth and nail to kill all faculty unions, including its first, the Association of McGill Professors of Law.

There are many parallels between the Boston University Graduate Workers Union situation and that of the Association of McGill Professors of Law. Both came into existence in late 2022, both suffered from foot-dragging bargaining by the university, and in both cases, management retaliated against union members for union activities.

The differences are just as striking. McGill is in Quebec, the most labor-friendly jurisdiction in North America where unionization and anti-scab legislation is the norm. It is thus all the more surprising that McGill is deploying the worst private sector tactics developed by Walmart, Amazon, and Starbucks against its faculty unions.

McGill says it has a commitment to academic freedom, integrity, responsibility, equity and inclusiveness, yet seeks to deny academics the freedom of selecting their own union. Faculty unions are a sign of engagement and commitment, and a call for partnership. It is time for Boston U, McGill and higher education more generally to heed that call.

Sincerely

Evan Fox-Decent, McGill Law professor and President, AMPL

Kirsten Anker, McGill Law professor and Vice-President, AMPL