REPORT FROM THE CAUT DEFENCE FUND ANNUAL
MEETING
On October 18, 2008, the CAUT Defence Fund met in Fredericton, NB for our annual meeting. Spirits were high as we celebrated the tentative settlement at Brandon University only two days before. This was the third strike (and settlement) since the summer.
The day
began early with an orientation breakfast for new Defence Fund reps. We
learned that the DF was founded in 1978 and presently has 39 academic staff
unions as members. We also learned that for
the first time since the infamous York strike of '97 the DF assets have declined.
The general meeting started immediately afterwards with 67 delegates in attendance. As in all general meetings, there was a lot of "book-keeping" to attend to, including acclaiming Larry Hale from UPEI as our president for a second term. Bargaining reports from the members confirmed my feeling that bargaining has become more difficult in the past years. Let us hope that the pendulum will soon swing back to more harmonious relations. After these reports, our colleagues from Laval requested the approval of funds in advance of an expected strike. Although Laval has not been a full member of the DF since 1994, they still have cognate status and thus access to funds based on their contributions in the past. As well, we had a lively discussion regarding a proposed change to the signing authority for the fund, which was soundly defeated out of concern that the DF could lose control of its fund. An improved motion was passed that addressed the practical issue of finding two people to sign a cheque, while protecting the independence of CAUT-DF from CAUT. Also, we discussed why the Fund has decreased and what we can do to protect it. Causes of the decline include an increase in the number of strikes in the past few years and the weak performance of investments in general. Solutions may include increasing dues, which have been set at $5 per month per member since 1992, or changing the types of investments to increase yield. Both of these ideas will be discussed by the investment committee over the coming year and recommendations will be presented at next year's AGM. However, we did agree to leave the strike benefits paid by the DF at $77 per day for the coming year and not apply a Cost-of-Living adjustment.
Saturday night we were treated to a reception at the hotel courtesy of the Faculty Association of the University of St. Thomas. Afterwards, dinner lasted many hours as we exchanged stories of academia, unions and life.
For the first time in many years, our meeting continued into Sunday morning. We met for another two hours before adjourning until our next AGM in Windsor (Ontario). Topics for Sunday included the election of committee members, the report of the investment committee, and a farewell to a long-serving member from Manitoba.
So, despite driving the same one-way circuit in downtown Fredericton three times before figuring out how to get to the hotel, and then 9.5 hours of meetings in one day, it was wonderful to have the opportunity to meet people from across the country and share our experiences. I came back with a renewed sense of the importance of the DF and our own AUFA. As a bonus, despite the cold, I did NOT get stuck on the Cobequid Pass!
Respectfully Submitted,
Catherine Stanley
DF Representative for AUFA