Residence dons’ unionizing efforts have paid off—they’ve reached an agreement with the University.
Represented by United Steel Workers (USW) 2010, the Residence Don Union will vote on April 9 to finalize their collective agreement with the University.
Based on the collective agreement, dons will work a maximum of 11 hours per day and 30 hours per week. On-call shifts, during which dons can be called at any time for work, will be capped at a maximum of two per week, and dons won’t be scheduled for more than two weekend shifts in a four-week period.
In March 2023, 73 per cent of residence dons voted in favour of unionizing. USW 2010 supported dons in negotiating their first collective agreement with Queen’s.
READ MORE: Residence dons vote yes to unionizing
USW 2010 advocated to improve dons’ working conditions, limit their working hours, and adhere to stricter scheduling times.
According to USW 2010 President Kelly Orser, there was a strong need for dons to find their voice when negotiating their working terms and conditions. Orser claimed the University lacked transparency when it came to recruiting dons and there was no compensation for two weeks of annual mandatory training in August.
The Residence Dons Bargaining Team thinks the current collective agreement is fair and will unanimously recommend dons vote it into action on April 9, according to Orser. The final contract will be publicized once residence dons finalize the final offer from the University.
Residence Dons, Residence Life Assistants, Living Learning Community Dons, Stayover Dons, and Don Designates are all included in the collective agreement with the University.
Tags
dons, union, United Steelworkers
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s)-in-Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.