Defence Fund President's Report to CAUT Council – Spring 2008

Defence Fund President's Report to CAUT Council
Spring 2008

The year 2007-2008 has already been, by any measure, an extraordinary one for the CAUT Defence Fund (DF).

Job actions

Since July 2007, four member associations of the DF have taken job action:

  • July 2007: strike by General Staff unit of the Association of Professors of Bishop’s University (APBU) [6 weeks]
  • July 2007 (later): Full-time and Part-time Academic Staff units of ABPU locked-out [2 weeks]
  • October 2007: strike by Acadia University Faculty Association (AUFA) [3 weeks]
  • December 2007: Full-time and Part-time units of the Faculty Association of the University of St. Thomas (FAUST) locked-out, followed by strike action [5 weeks]
  • March 2008: strike by Contract Academic Staff unit of Wilfred Laurier University Faculty Association (WLUFA) [1 week as of March 26]

Flying pickets

Since July 2007, DF Trustees, along with other recruits, have conducted 11 individual flying picket Days of Solidarity at these various locations.

Benefits approved

Since July 2007, the DF has approved strike benefits for seven member association, including those listed above, along with University of Manitoba Faculty Association (UMFA), University of Guelph Faculty Association (UGFA), and l’Association des bibliothécaires, des professeures et professeurs de l'Université de Moncton (ABPPUM). UMFA and UGFA were able to settle before taking strike action, while the situation at ABPPUM remains open. UMFA has also received funds toward the cost of mediation.

Benefits paid

The total cost of strike benefits paid to APBU, AUFA and FAUST was just over $1.4 million.

Membership

In March 2008, the DF welcomed our 38th member association to the ranks, the Saint Thomas More College Faculty Union.

Adding to all this is the fact that many of the job actions were due to unprecedented Employer action. Bishop’s University was the first to impose an Employer-initiated lock-out of academic staff in Canada. St. Thomas University was the first to impose such a lock-out for pre-emptive reasons. The University of Guelph put the UGFA through a long and arduous process to achieve a first collective agreement.

Clearly, Employers are make more concerted efforts to test the mettle of academic staff unions. Equally as clear is the need for a strong central strike fund to give those unions the resources they need to help keep their memberships focussed and united. With assets of nearly $20 million, the CAUT Defence Fund remains a cornerstone of the success of collective bargaining by academic staff unions in Canadian universities.

The bottom line for 2007-08 is that academic staff unions achieved acceptable, negotiated settlements in the face of strong efforts to deny them that goal. The DF is proud to have been an important part of that. A LOT of money was paid out this year, but it was money very well spent.

In late April, the Planning and Policy Committee will meet in Quebec City to prepare a series of policy recommendations to the 2008 annual meeting of the DF Board of Trustees in Fredericton, N.B. A report of the decisions taken at that meeting will be made at the next CAUT council.

As always, the DF is grateful for the excellent work by CAUT staff in support of DF activities, particularly this year!

The 2009 annual meeting of the DF Board of Trustees will be in Windsor, Ontario.

In solidarity, and respectfully submitted by,

Lawrence Hale
President and Trustee (UPEI)
March 26, 2008