Sisters, Brothers, and Friends:

We are pleased to report that the National Executive Board has adopted changes to the National Strike Fund Regulations, including a significant increase in strike pay, which comes into effect immediately. The updated regulations can be found here, and we encourage you to review them closely.

Here are the highlights:

For a minimum of 20 hours of picketing or completing other approved duties, strike pay will now be paid at the following amounts:

• For weeks 1-5, maximum strike pay is increased to $350 (from $300).
• Starting with the 6^th week of the strike, strike pay is increased to $375 per week (from $350). This increase takes effect two weeks earlier (previously taking place in the 8^th week of the strike).
• Starting with the 12^th week of the strike, strike pay is increased to $400 per week (from $375).
• Starting with the 16^th week of the strike, strike pay is increased to $450 per week (from $400).

We have also built in a new requirement that locals conduct an interim reconciliation at the 20-week mark and every 20 weeks thereafter in the case of long disputes. Form “J” is now “Interim or Final Strike Report”. This should alleviate the difficulty some locals and trustees have, after unusually long disputes, of trying to reconcile their finances and paperwork over an extremely long period.

We have also provided clearer language in many places throughout the regulations.

Finally, we are happy to report that our Information Technology Branch is hard at work developing an electronic system for strike forms and reports, and we will be ready to pilot this in the coming months.

We thank all those members who participated in the strike fund townhall we held in March, which factored greatly into our update to the regulations, as did all the feedback shared by locals who have had strikes in recent years.

In solidarity,

MARK HANCOCK, National President

CANDACE RENNICK, National Secretary-Treasurer