One of the central issues for McGill’s nascent faculty unions is our pension plan. This plan compares unfavourably to peer institutions in Quebec and across Canada. In fact, the current structure, in which there are two faculty tiers depending on hire date, would be illegal to implement under current Quebec law, which considers such plans inequitable. Thus, a major goal of the faculty unions is one defined benefit pension for all. This would require the McGill administration to increase both the contributions it makes and the risk it carries (for faculty hired after 2008, 100% of the risk is currently carried by the employee).
Other faculty concerns—support for research and teaching, infrastructure—all cost money. Given the institution’s financial problems, how can these issues be realistically addressed? Fortunately, the administration has provided answers for us. First, a recent analysis of McGill operations found that we massively overspend on administrative functions relative to peer institutions, normalized for size and research intensity. Substantial resources will be freed by the improved management practices promised under Horizon McGill. Second, when presenting financials, the administration has pointed to the enormous burden of rental properties. A primary goal of the New Vic project is to relieve that burden by providing ample new office, lab, and teaching spaces and removing these rents from our books. These liberated resources represent opportunities to return to equitable and secure retirement benefits for all and to better support our academic mission. Science faculty need to be at the table to ensure our priorities are front and center as resources are reallocated.
