Defence Fund Chairperson's Report to CAUT Council
Spring 2002
This is my sixth and last report to CAUT Council as in October 2002, my third term as Chair of the CAUT Defence Fund will come to an end and a new chair will be elected.
The past two-and-a-half years have been extremely rewarding and a great learning experience for me. I enjoyed tremendously working with Trustees from across Canada and the CAUT staff. I had the privilege of collaborating with terrific people and I made numerous wonderful friends, and I thank you all for giving me this opportunity.
Since I was first elected in October 1999, there have been five faculty strikes in Canadian universities for which the Defence Fund was called upon to provide strike support: UCCB in 2000 (35 days), Moncton in 2000 (36 days), Memorial in 2000 (13 days), Manitoba in 2001 (4 days), and just now, in March 2002, Dalhousie (26 days), and I am still in office for another six months...
I have kept the lines of communication open with Defence Fund Trustees and CAUT staff and member associations throughout my three terms, particularly during the recent Dalhousie strike, thanks to the DFA office staff and DFA Trustee David Tindall who provided me promptly with up-to-date information and new developments, so I will not go into too many details in this report.
Once again, several records have been broken: this was Dalhousie's fourth and the first ever back-to-back faculty strike in Canada (the DFA was on strike for 8 days in 1998). The DFA took the lead in fighting an issue that is not unique to Dalhousie, one that in fact affects all of us in Canada: the ever-decreasing number of full-time faculty and the increasing number of low-paid part-time instructors. Solidarity from associations from across Canada, unionized as well as non-unionized ones, was unprecedented. Protest letters to Dalhousie's Board of Governors and letters of support to the DFA, as well as financial support, poured in continuously throughout the four weeks of the strike. The Defence Fund extended strike benefits of $50 per day per member to the DFA, starting on the eighth day of the strike, a loan to cover insured benefit premiums, and a line of credit of $1 million. As well, the Defence Fund organized two very-well attended solidarity visits: one on Day 5 of the strike that brought to Halifax delegates from almost every association in the Maritime Provinces ("walking" and "driving" pickets), and a second one a week later, on Day 12 of the strike, where no less than 21 associations of academics from across Canada were represented ("walking", "driving" and "flying" pickets). Needless to say that DFA members are very grateful for the various forms of solidarity they received. Andy Wainwright, DFA President, sent me a thank-you letter on March 12, 2002.
When an agreement (ratified by 92% of DFA members) was finally reached, with the help of a mediator and after four weeks on the picket line, local newspapers reported that "both sides claimed victory." That's what happens when two parties reach a compromise through actual negotiation, something Dalhousie's inflexible Board of Governors had adamantly refused to do since their last offer of November 2001. Too bad DFA members were forced to walk off their jobs and stay out for that long before the BoG finally understood that.
As I am writing this report during the Easter weekend, and given that the strike was settled only a couple of days ago, I am unable to report on the assets of the Fund following the strike.
Once again, I extend my heartfelt thanks to the CAUT staff for their assistance and support, as well as for their continuing efficient work in the administration of the Defence Fund.
Respectfully submitted,
Denise Nevo
Chair, CAUT Defence Fund
http://defencefund.caut.ca
April 2002