The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA)
A provincial organization which engages in lobbying and provides technical information to Ontario Faculty Associations. A news magazine, OCUFA FORUM is distributed quarterly to Faculty Association members.
The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT)
This organization works at the national level and lobbies with the federal government in such areas as taxation and immigration, and in areas affecting academic freedom and tenure. CAUT is also involved in assisting various local Associations with certification campaigns and in the negotiations of collective agreements. The CAUT Bulletin is published monthly and distributed by CAUT to all members of the bargaining unit.
CAUT Defense Fund
This organization within CAUT was established several years ago to provide funds to our members in the event of a strike. Approximately 41 Faculty Associations in Canada, including ours, have joined this Fund.
In August of 2015, WLUFA invited Marc Xuereb, President of the Waterloo Regional Labour Council, to present the Executive with information about our joining with our local labour organizations. We learned that eligibility to join the WRLC was dependent upon our being recognized as members of the Canadian Labour Congress — something that could be achieved quite inexpensively if we applied for membership in the National Union of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (NUCAUT).
WLUFA is pleased to announce that we have recently been approved as members of NUCAUT. This approval will not only allow us to have a voice at NUCAUT and the Canadian Labour Congress, but it also allows us to move forward in becoming a member of the Ontario Federation of Labour and both our Brantford District and Waterloo Regional Labour Councils.
Though there was no way for us to see, back in August, to what extent organized labour might be under fire at Laurier, surely the struggles of our maintenance staff in CUPE 926 have proven that strengthening our labour affiliations can only be for the best. The Association looks forward to contributing to and strengthening our new relationships with these organizations.