A Mighty Wind
By Karen Zoppa
Did you know that the CAUT Defence Fund has your back?
Founded in 1978, the CAUT Defence Fund now stands at over $19,000,000 in Defence of over 37 member associations, representing 17,000 academics across Canada. As a member organization, our bargaining units are protected by the full might of the DF.
The primary purpose of the Defence Fund is to provide strike benefits to associations while its members are engaged in a strike or lockout and experiencing loss of salary. These benefits are paid as a grant to the association, to be used at the local union’s discretion, usually as strike pay (which is non-taxable) for individual union members. Strike benefits are currently set at $77 per calendar day, and payments start on the 4th calendar day of the strike or lock-out. Benefits are calculated using the number
of persons for whom monthly dues have been paid.
The Fund provides financial support for arbitration to member associations who are restricted from collective bargaining or striking by legislation. As well, the Fund grants interest free loans for a period of six months to striking member associations, often presented as a giant cheque for $1,000,000, which creates beneficial media coverage and signals to administrators the level of support the union has.
The Fund lobbies on behalf of associations on strike or lock-out by writing letters and making phone calls to boards of governors, university presidents, administrators, and local politicians and by sending “flying pickets” from member associations to demonstrate in support of a member association on strike. Within the first week of a strike or lockout, representatives from other faculty unions travel on a given day to the strike or lockout site, with subsequent visits if the strike continues. They join striking faculty on the picket lines and bring their striking colleagues psychological (and usually financial) support, which provides to them a sense of national unity and increases morale. These support visits display publicly the national solidarity of the university teachers and librarians represented by the faculty unions currently members of the Fund. Such activities serve an important purpose as they usually generate enhanced media coverage, including national coverage.
For recent news and more information, go to: http://defencefund.caut.ca/English/Default.htm
In solidarity,
Karen Zoppa
CAUT Defence Fund Trustee for the UWFA
Also in this newsletter:
- Ask UWFA–eight questions answered! – Page 4
Bargaining Newsletter - January 16, 2008