I have recently written about a crisis facing post-secondary education in this country brought on by neo-liberal transformations in our economic, social and political landscapes. I have also written about attacks on professional academic librarians by bean-counting managers who misguidedly exploit technology to save money and justify a widespread deskilling and unbundling of their work.
To meet these and other challenges, academic staff associations need to consider how best to mobilize members for the long term. In essence, we need to look beyond our collective agreements to engage a greater number of our members. Broad-based support for our associations must be built on the diverse economic, social and political interests and expertise that already exist within our memberships.
With this in mind, I want to highlight the work CAUT does on the international stage. The challenges and threats we see locally are often manifestations of larger global trends. Through its international work, CAUT has been able to respond more effectively to the ever-changing environment of post-secondary education and to better assist its local associations in doing the same. International cooperation work can mobilize members and take engagement to the next level.
Every association undoubtedly has members with competencies well-suited to international efforts. Unfortunately, many of these individuals often only see their association’s efforts as bargaining and grievance work, not aligning with their own interests and expertise, so they see little reason to get involved. Through international work, associations can create opportunities to capture these colleagues’ contributions and help build a stronger, more broad-based community.
Much of CAUT’s international work is facilitated through its membership in Education International. Through this organization, we are able to maintain close connections with national academic staff associations around the world. CAUT is also an influential actor in the policy-making processes of EI. Most recently, a CAUT proposed resolution on copyright was adopted unanimously by EI’s World Congress.
We are also active in monitoring discussions on international trade agreements because educational services are seen by free traders as a valuable tradable commodity. CAUT’s role includes lobbying the federal government to ensure our politicians don’t make or seek to make commitments on education services, as well as working with our American, European and southern counterparts to mobilize concern internationally. Through the work of our associate executive director, David Robinson, CAUT has played a leading role in World Trade Organization talks and in meetings of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
CAUT continues to be a strong and credible voice through its international solidarity work in defense of academic freedom, human rights, civil liberties and trade union rights. Violations of these principles in other countries cannot be ignored. CAUT’s demonstrations of support for individuals and groups in jeopardy and letters of protest against abuses are critical to protecting our own rights here at home.
CAUT has also developed and signed reciprocal membership agreements with many national academic staff associations. These serve to protect visiting academic staff at higher education institutions by extending the same rights as every other staff member in the host country.
These and other efforts on the international scene continue to be valuable commitments for CAUT and its member associations. Recently, CAUT’s Executive Committee has been considering how to step up its work on this front. At its November 2010 Council meeting, CAUT adopted policy guidelines for international cooperation work. The primary guiding principle is that any international cooperation work should strengthen the capacity of post-secondary education trade unions to promote the economic, social and political interests of their members.
With this direction from Council, the Executive Committee is now discussing two opportunities to extend international cooperation efforts.
One builds on a reciprocal membership agreement recently signed with the National Association of Graduate Teachers in Ghana, where CAUT is exploring the possibility of working with the association to improve its capacity. Ideas for accomplishing this include assisting with the design of a leadership training program and development of an organizing strategy to recruit more members.
The second is a request from the Federation of Unions of Palestinian University Professors and Employees to provide support and advice about establishing an office to carry out the day-to-day affairs of the union, implementing a training strategy to educate members about their rights, and developing a communications plan to improve relationships with members. This work arises as a result of the 2010 joint EI/CAUT report entitled
The Status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.
We can be proud of CAUT’s reputation and credibility on the international stage. Academic staff associations around the world recognize CAUT as a strong advocate for higher education and its employees. And, working to build the capacity of post-secondary education trade unions in other countries provides opportunities for our local associations to engage members who formerly have not been involved with their associations.
Opportunities, like those cited here, exist all over the globe and certainly have the potential to capture the economic, social and political interests and expertise of our members. In so doing, we increase the capacity of post-secondary education trade unions around the world while, at the same time, we build a broader base of support for our local associations at home.