SÉSUM

What SÉSUM does

SÉSUM (Syndicat des étudiant.es salarié.es de l'Université de Montréal) is a Quebec-based labor union founded in 2007, following unionization sensitization campaigns led by the Alliance de la Fonction Publique du Canada (AFPC). It was accredited in summer 2007 as the exclusive representative of research assistants (auxiliaires de recherche) and teaching assistants (auxiliaires d'enseignement) at the Université de Montréal, and subsequently expanded its accreditation to include student technical assistants, with first contract negotiations for that group in 2011. Today SÉSUM represents all Université de Montréal students holding research assistant, teaching assistant, or technical assistant contracts, as well as non-student technical assistants covered under the collective agreement.

The union's core offering is collective representation services rather than technology products. Functional offerings include collective bargaining (with negotiated hourly rates ranging from CAD $19.02 to $27.16 for student employees, plus indemnities), grievance filing and dispute resolution, contract modification support, representation in disciplinary meetings, CNESST workplace accident claims support, and legal protection under the collective agreement. The only digital asset is an informational website (sesum.org) redesigned in August 2023, supplemented by Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram accounts used for member outreach.

SÉSUM does not operate a traditional commercial revenue model. Funding is generated through membership dues from represented student employees, with no public financial disclosures. The organization is governed by its members through an elected Executive Committee and Delegate Council, with a five-employee operational structure. Its counterparty in collective bargaining is exclusively the Université de Montréal, and its serviceable population is structurally limited to students and non-student technical assistants at that institution.

Name

SÉSUM

Legal name

Syndicat des étudiant.es salarié.es de l'Université de Montréal

Website

https://sesum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SÉSUM is a Quebec labor union founded in 2007 that serves as the exclusive certified representative of research assistants, teaching assistants, and technical assistants at the Université de Montréal, providing collective bargaining, grievance handling, and workplace rights advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labor Union Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPACAHAH

Workforce Compliance & Employment Law Risk Management (Local Labor Law, Tax, Statutory)

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Employer of Record (EOR) & Global Employment / PEO Services

SECONDARYEDABAIAE

HR Compliance, Employment Law & Employee Relations Training

Education/Corporate Training & Professional Development/HR, Talent, DEI & People Operations Training

Keywords

• Labor union representation
• Collective bargaining services
• Student worker advocacy
• Workplace rights protection
• Union membership services

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SÉSUM is a labor union that acts as the exclusive certified bargaining representative for student employees at Université de Montréal, covering research assistants (auxiliaires de recherche), teaching assistants (auxiliaires d'enseignement), and student technical assistants. The union negotiates and enforces a collective agreement covering wages (CAD $19.02–$27.16/hour with indemnities), contract terms, working conditions, and workplace safety protections, and provides members with grievance filing, dispute resolution, contract modification support, CNESST workplace accident claims assistance, and representation in disciplinary meetings.

Product overview

SÉSUM is a labor union (Syndicat des étudiant.es salarié.es de l'Université de Montréal) representing student employees at the University of Montréal. The organization does not offer technology products or software services; it provides union representation, collective bargaining, member support, grievance filing assistance, and workplace rights advocacy for research assistants, teaching assistants, and technical assistants. The organization's primary digital presence is its informational website.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Alliance de la Fonction Publique du Canada (AFPC)foundationalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006The AFPC led the university unionization movement across Canadian universities, of which SÉSUM was a part. SÉSUM was founded in the wake of the AFPC's sensitization campaigns for university worker unionization. This partnership represents the foundational movement that led to SÉSUM's establishment.

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ): Québec's largest labor central, with affiliated unions representing academic and student workers at multiple universities. Comparable as a peer federated union structure operating in the same Québec labor relations framework as SÉSUM.
• Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN): Major Québec-based labor federation representing workers across sectors, including university student employees and academic workers at several Québec institutions. Comparable as a peer union environment operating in the same provincial labor law regime as SÉSUM.
• Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE): One of Canada's largest unions, with multiple locals representing teaching assistants, research assistants, and student workers at universities across the country (e.g., CUPE 3902 at UofT, CUPE 416). Directly comparable as a parallel Canadian union structure organizing student academic workers under collective agreements.
• Public Service Alliance of Canada (Alliance de la Fonction Publique du Canada): National federal public sector union federation that led the university unionization movement from which SÉSUM emerged. Directly comparable as SÉSUM's foundational organizational parent and a major Canadian union with academic worker representation across multiple institutions.
• Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ): Québec labor central representing education-sector workers including some university personnel. Comparable as a peer labor central operating in the same provincial jurisdiction and collective bargaining regime governing SÉSUM's work.

Direct peers

• CUPE 3902 (University of Toronto): CUPE local representing graduate student employees (teaching assistants, research assistants) at the University of Toronto. The closest functional analogue to SÉSUM in structure — student-only (or mostly student) bargaining unit with collective agreement negotiated against a single large research university employer.
• Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU) at Simon Fraser University: Independent union representing teaching assistants, tutors, and sessional instructors at Simon Fraser University. Closely comparable to SÉSUM as a single-institution, academic-employee-focused union with a collective agreement negotiated against one university employer.
• Fédération québécoise des professeures et professeurs d'université (FQPPU): Québec federation representing university professors across the province, including at Université de Montréal. Comparable as a peer academic-sector union operating in the same institutional and provincial environment, with overlapping but non-conflicting representation of UdeM workers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sesum17750
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sesum17750
• Instagraminstagram.com/sesum17750/?hl=fr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about SÉSUM