McGill law professors launch unlimited strike on first week of classes

A union representing full-time McGill University law professors launched an unlimited general strike today over what it describes as the school's refusal to negotiate in good faith.

Law professor Kirsten Anker says the Association of McGill Professors of Law wants to secure its first collective agreement and stop the university from challenging its right to exist.

The union was certified in November 2022 by the province's labour tribunal, but that certification is being contested by the university.

Anker, the union's vice-president, says the professors' main demands are around faculty governance and salaries, and says the university is refusing to meet even after the union agreed to arbitration on the pay issue.

Union members also walked off the job earlier this year, but Anker says this is the first strike that has the potential to disrupt classes for a prolonged period.

She says first-year law students were scheduled to begin today with a welcome session, with teaching classes supposed to start Wednesday.