HOW WILL MEMBERSHIP IN THE CAUT DEFENCE FUND HELP MY FACULTY UNION IN A STRIKE OR LOCKOUT?
During a strike or lockout, the Fund provides the following benefits: 1. Financial benefits The Fund’s primary purpose is to provide benefits to a local faculty union while some or all of its members are on strike or locked out and are experiencing loss of salary. “Strike benefits” are usually paid as a grant to be used at the local union’s discretion. Most of these funds are used as strike pay (non-taxable) for individual union members. The Fund will provide an interest-free loan to cover the payment of premiums for insurance plans such as group life, disability and health, should they be disrupted by a strike or lockout. The provision of such funds can also create media coverage as occurred in the 1995 University of Manitoba strike. The Fund provided a cheque for $1,000,000 creating beneficial media coverage and it also signaled to administrators the level of support the union had. 2. Lobbying on Your Behalf During a strike or lockout the Fund’s members may lobby on your behalf by wr
