CAUT
DEFENCE FUND
The CAUT Defence Fund has undergone some changes within the past year, and, as your newly-minted representative, I wanted to bring forth some information about the fund. The main purpose of the fund is to support member organizations in the case of a job action. There are 37 member organizations representing over 17,000 academics. The Fund provides pay to members and interest-free loans for use by the associations in question during times of need. The Fund is currently sitting at about $18.5 million dollars (2006) with fees of $5 per faculty member per month, a figure that has not increased since the 1990s. AUFA pays the CAUT fees on behalf of the faculty with the union dues collected. In October of 2006, the Fund changed the way it provides pay to those faculty members on strike. Previously, the union was responsible for paying its members during the first seven days of a strike or lock out. Now, the union is only responsible for the first three days, with the Defence Fund paying benefits beginning on the fourth day of the job action. The current rate is $75 per calendar day. This is good news for all member organizations, as it reduces the need for individual unions to stockpile significant sums of cash in order to cover benefits for the first week of a strike.
I look forward to being your representative on the CAUT Defence Fund.
Darcy Benoit