The National Union of CAUT has established a new award to recognize members who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of equity in the post-secondary community.

The Patricia Baker Award for Union Activism honours the late Patricia Baker, who worked tirelessly to promote equity for women in post-secondary education through her work as an associate professor in Mount Saint Vincent University’s departments of sociology/anthropology and women’s studies, her research on women and unionization and her involvement with the MSVU faculty association. Baker was also a member of NUCAUT’s executive board until her death in De­cem­ber 2007.

The award was established at NUCAUT’s third convention in May, where the assembly also elected a new executive board.

Dileep Athaide from the Feder­a­tion of Post-Secondary Educa­tors was voted in as president, while Ginny Stroeher, past president of the Association of Professors of Bishop’s University, was chosen as new vice-president, and Tom Booth from the University of Manitoba Faculty Association was named treasurer. Maureen Shaw (FPSE), Brian Brown (University of Wind­sor Faculty Association) and Su­z­anne Dudziak (Faculty Associ­ation of the University of St. Thomas) were elected members-at-large to the board.

NUCAUT has 21 member as­so­ciations in addition to FPSE, which has 18 member locals.

“We’re hoping more academic associations will join us,” Athaide said after the election. “About one third of CAUT-affiliated associations have already joined the union, and, as of this convention, we have rep­resentatives from every province, but it would be great to bring in new blood.”

Athaide said in the six years since the fledgling organization’s formation within the Canadian Labour Congress, NUCAUT has been successful in making post-secondary education issues a priority on the CLC agenda.

“Now the CLC is lobbying on those issues with us,” he said, adding that several NUCAUT members serve on CLC committees related to topics on training and technology, health and safety, women, and pensions, among others.

“Our member associations really do benefit from the CLC’s training programs, conferences and publications,” Athaide said. “As well, each is able to join its pro­vincial federation of labour and local labour council — building stronger links with other labour groups in its community and province.”