Following an emergency meeting of its board of directors on Tuesday, the Union of Quebec Writers and Writers decided to consult its members on two controversial decisions by the organization: the taxation of union dues and the future of the Writers’ House.
In a press release, the president of UNEQ, Suzanne Aubry, made the announcement on Wednesday afternoon. “In recent weeks, we have listened to your concerns regarding union dues and the sale of the Maison des écrivains. The members of the Board of Directors met on January 17 to decide on these questions. They will be on the agenda for the extraordinary general meeting on March 29 on Zoom,” said Mr.me Aubrey.
Remember that the UNEQ is now authorized to negotiate collective agreements thanks to the new Status of the Artist Act. Since December, several authors and autrices have accused the administrators of having taken on the sly the decision to impose union dues, as well as the sale of the House of Writers, Laval Avenue, in Montreal.
Dues to members (2.5%) and non-members (5%) were voted on in a virtual general meeting where only 46 voters were present last summer. The forthcoming marketing of the Maison des Ecrivains, UNEQ’s head office, was approved by the Board of Directors without any official consultation.
“The board of directors still considers that its decision to sell the Maison des écrivains is necessary”, continues Mr.me Aubry, mentioning “the costs of maintenance, repair, staffing needs and upgrading which will continue to increase in the coming years, compromising in the medium term the ability of the Union to ensure the financial sustainability of the organization and its development.
The Board of Directors says it is aware that these two decisions are of concern to members. He will therefore submit the question to a vote at the extraordinary general meeting. Only members in good standing for more than 30 days will be able to participate with the right to vote.