Report from NUCAUT President George Davison

Hello all,

Please find below my report that expands a bit on what I provided to the informal meeting last Friday, and what Penni Stewart and I reported on at CAUT Council.

In solidarity,

George

Dr. George A. Davison
Secretary-Treasurer, Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of B.C.
President, National Union of the Canadian Association of University Teachers
400-550 West 6^th Ave.,
Vancouver, B.C. V5Z 1A1
Office phone: 604-873-8988

Since the last Council in May, the Canadian Labour Congress had its triennial convention in May, and NUCAUT had its 4th convention in Vancouver in June.

I was elected President, Penni Stewart VP, Tom Booth Treasurer, Suzanne Dudziak Member at Large East, Brian Brown Member at Large Central, and Terri Van Steinburg Member at Large West. All terms are three years.

NUCAUT has 26 locals and just over 20,000 members.

My first official duty was to attend the CLC’s first Canadian Council meeting - the result of a major restructuring which added diversity and equity representatives, the presidents of all small unions, and the heads of all provincial & territorial federations of labour. There were about 100 labour leaders from all over Canada representing 4.2 million affiliated workers. 

President Ken Georgetti reported on many CLC activities, including work on 8 election campaigns at all levels this past year. The good news is that the International Trade Unions Congress has suspended CLAC, the Christian Labour Association of Canada, as an employer-union. Also, that the 57,000 member Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada just joined.

The bad news is that the attack on unions continues. The legislation or threatened legislation in Canada Post and Air Canada disputes; Bill C317 (union disclosure) was derailed by the NDP on a technicality but it will likely return; and something similar is rumored in Saskatchewan and was introduced as a private member’s bill in BC the day before the end of the fall session.

In that context, the CLC invited Brendan Barber of Great Britain’s Trade Unions Congress, representing 6.2 million workers, and Rich Trumpka of the AFL-CIO, representing 12.2 million workers in the U.S. The points they made tie in nicely with the debate at Council around President Wayne Peters’ opening comments and the presentation made by Terry Hoad from the University and College Union.

1.      The current economic system is failing the public – organized labour should champion those left behind.

2.      Unions (and academic staff associations) need to engage in the battle of ideas, countering the pronouncements of the Fraser Institute and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

3.      Organized labour cannot do it all by themselves – broad coalitions should be built and fostered.

4.      Targetted funding might be needed for specific campaigns eg Retirement Security and a National Childcare campaign.

5.      Political action should not be limited to election campaigns or the run-up to them – the suggestion was to get to MPs and MLAs in their own backyards.

6.      Use old and new communications techniques to rally members and inform the public – everything from digital campaigns to mass rallies like the one coming to Britain on November 30.

Delegates were also shown the results of the CLC’s latest poll, which shows that the message of organized labour (what we seek for ourselves we seek for all) resonates with the public, but not when delivered by organized labour!

Several NUCAUT resolutions that did not make it to the CLC floor in May were passed by the Canadian Council, including ones on reducing the gender wage gap, increasing funding for post-secondary and skills plus funding, and copyright.

NUCAUT has representatives on several CLC committees: Trades and Technology, Apprenticeship, Pensions, Environment, Health & Safety, and Women’s.

At our informal meeting on Friday morning, local representatives reported on local activities and connections with local Labour Councils. We welcomed NSCAD, which is looking at membership and under threat of closure or amalgamation because of a massive debt.

Issues that arose will be discussed by the National Executive Board at its next meeting. They include the position of NUCAUT regarding the partnership between the CLC and United Way; the process for appointing NUCAUT representatives to CLC committees; and finally, the best way to balance CLC information and local reports within the time limit we’re provided. As NUCAUT grows, we will need to find more effective ways to use our time both at and between meetings.

Respectfully submitted,

Dr. George A. Davison