Montreal university upset about rector being compared to ‘Gilligan’s Island’ captain
MONTREAL — The TV sitcom “Gilligan’s Island” is the highly unlikely focus of a dispute between a Montreal university and a union that represents some of its employees.
Both sides will sit down with a mediator Wednesday to discuss a flyer in which the institution’s rector was compared to “Skipper,” the captain in the popular 1960s TV show. The comedy was about seven castaways who are shipwrecked on an uncharted tropical island.
Montreal La Presse has reported the issue goes back to 2015 when unionized students employed in research projects as well as technical and teaching assistants at Universite de Montreal were negotiating a new collective agreement.
In a court filing, the university says the students’ union, which is affiliated with the Public Service Alliance of Canada, published a leaflet in which rector Guy Breton is shown in a sailor’s hat.