Facing threats to academic freedom, immigrant students, faculty and staff, online harassment, and AI, CFT’s State Council Summit brought constituent groups together while delivering workshops that educated and empowered.
Thursday afternoon kicked off with sessions reflecting today’s political climate, including a “Know Your Rights” training that offered hands-on practice in nonviolent direct action. The workshop was led by Susan Minato, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11, and Emely Rauda of the UCLA Labor Center.
Well received were “Social Media Strategies for Educators” and “Doxxing Defense: Clean Up Your Digital Footprint,” led by PEN America digital media safety expert Beck Haberstroh. As educators increasingly face attacks online, these sessions walked attendees through platform safety settings and tools to guard against harassment and protect privacy. Haberstroh also trained participants—using the phones and laptops they were encouraged to bring—to “think like doxxers,” assess vulnerabilities, and build their own digital safety plans.
“The workshop was quite useful to me,” said Regina Chagolla, senior vice president of the Berkeley Federation of Teachers, who has witnessed firsthand the social media harassment her local president endured.
Friday opened with a high-energy session led by veteran journalist turned TikTok “vocabulary builder” activist Beverly Mahone-Gibbs. She energized the room by breaking down words like “audacious,” “efficacy,” “equanimity,” “intrepid,” and “indomitable,” emphasizing their power before closing with a recitation of Mahalia Jackson’s “If I Can Help Somebody.”
Another guest speaker, Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, who is running for State Superintendent with CFT’s endorsement, spoke to the crowd about education issues facing the state. Muratsuchi took questions from the audience and thanked members for their support in his bid for the seat.
Organizing training stood out in a two-day, three-part “Strike Preparedness” series covering contract campaigns, mediation through a strike vote, and sustaining momentum afterward. One of the presenters, Cassondra Curiel, president of United Educators of San Francisco, recently led her own local through that process.
“The Use of AI in Our Workspaces: Minimizing Risk to Union Members” resonated with attendees, including Belinda Lum, chief negotiator at the Los Rios College Federation of Teachers. “The workshop on AI and workers was fantastic,” she said. “I really appreciate that they broke down all the ways AI can impact our bargaining units and provided sample contract language. The PowerPoint was great.”
The 26-slide presentation covered a wide range of AI-related labor issues, emphasizing the need for guardrails through policy and contract language.
Friday evening’s dinner session, led by Ada Briseño and Christa Sharrack of UNITE HERE, addressed both the challenges and victories of organizing in Minneapolis, along with ongoing efforts to protect workers from ICE.
The summit built on earlier meetings of CFT division councils. Will Mittendorf, president of the Cerritos College Faculty Federation, called those meetings “always incredibly important,” adding, “It’s a great opportunity to network, and I love hearing what CFT is up to.”