An active member of the University of Manitoba Faculty Association (UMFA), Senior Scholar in the Department of Biological Sciences, and former president of CAUT (2000–2002) and the CAUT Defence Fund, James Thomas “Tom” Booth passed away peacefully at his home in Paradise, NL, on January 26, 2026, at the age of 84. Throughout more than 50 years in teaching, research and service, Booth occupied almost every UMFA and CAUT leadership position.
He was part of the group of faculty members who created the CAUT Defence Fund in 1977. During UMFA’s first strike in 1995, Booth proposed that Defence Fund members show solidarity not only through financial support but by joining picket lines. The Defence Fund’s flying and driving pickets were born, and he became a familiar figure on picket lines across the country.
Booth was influential in shaping union culture and in the provincial and national labour movement. He was honoured with CAUT’s Dedicated Service Award in 2008 for his outstanding service to UMFA and with the Donald C. Savage Award at CAUT’s 99th Council meeting in 2025 for his exceptional contributions to advancing collective bargaining.
