Defence Fund President's Report to CAUT Council
Spring 2012

Since my Fall report to CAUT Council I am pleased to report no job actions have taken place that required the involvement of the Defence Fund flying and driving pickets.

Strike support benefits were granted by the Trustees on February 29 to the Dalhousie Faculty Association and the Wilfrid Laurier Faculty Association. The Dalhousie Faculty Association was prepared to strike March 12, however a settlement was reached March 11, congratulations to our colleagues at Dalhousie. The Wilfrid Laurier Faculty Association was also successful in avoiding a strike, reaching a fair and equitable agreement with their employer a few days prior to the strike deadline.

The Defence Fund received one application for membership from the union at the University of Kings College Teachers' Association in Halifax. The application was approved by the Board of Trustees on February 16. The Defence Fund now has 47 academic staff unions as members.

I would like to thank Peter Simpson, Nancy Gordon, Gord Piché and Louise D’Anjou for their excellent work in supporting all the Defence Fund activities over the past year.

The next annual general meeting of the Defence Fund Board of Trustees will be in Toronto, October 20-21, 2012.

Respectively submitted in solidarity,

Brian E. Brown
President, CAUT Defence Fund