A collective agreement is a legally binding employment documents that outlines all of your benefits (including wages), rights and responsibilities as an employee at McMaster. It also outlines all of the responsibilities and obligations of the Employer (McMaster).
The Unit 1 Collective Agreement covers Teaching Assistants and Research Assistants who receive a Research Assistantship in lieu of Teaching Assistantship, as well as Demonstrators, Tutors and Super Tutors, Markers. The current agreement expires on August 31, 2027.
To view the new Collective Agreement (2022-2027), please CLICK HERE.
To view the 2019-2022 Collective Agreement, CLICK HERE.
To view the 2016-2019 Collective Agreement, please CLICK HERE.
To view the 2011-2016 Collective Agreement, please CLICK HERE.
Did you know? TA pay can NOT impact your scholarship
Wages have increased under our most recent collective agreement, but that does not mean that your scholarship can be reduced. The university cannot offset TA wage increases by reducing your scholarship.
The university cannot offset TA wage increases by reducing your scholarship. Specifically, Article 16.04 of our collective agreement states the following: The parties recognize and acknowledge the distinct and separate nature of academic financial support that the Employer provides to graduate students on the one hand, and the entitlement o employment income in accordance with the terms of this Collective Agreement on the other hand. As such, the Employer agrees that an employee’s entitlement to the wages set out in Schedule “A” of this Collective Agreement will not result in a reduction of, or offset against, the academic financial support promised by the University to a graduate student.
In short, TA wages and student-based scholarships/bursaries/top ups are completely separate from one another, and an increase to your wages cannot mean a loss of scholarship money.
Similarly, if you apply for an additional TAship and receive it, your department cannot reduce your scholarship entitlement as a result of this additional, unexpected work. We have been made aware of this happening, and if you see any reduction in your scholarship and believe it is linked to you getting an additional TAship or to an increase in your hourly wage, please contact us immediately and we can help to sort things out for you.