Teachers and staff at the French immersion school Lycée Français de San Francisco choose to have the support of strong state and national unions by affiliating with the CFT and AFT.

Members of the Lycée Français Association Lapérouse had been represented by an independent union since 1990, but in recent years negotiations deteriorated. Because of increasingly contentious bargaining, union members determined they needed additional expertise from larger labor organizations.

Lycée Français union leaders met with CFT organizing staff and, after deciding that the Federation was the right fit for them, set up informational meetings in members’ homes. At these well-attended meetings, members learned about the benefits of affiliating with AFT and CFT, and heard from Susan Solomon, executive vice president of United Educators of San Francisco, who shared her experience as a CFT member and answered questions.

On March 6 the bargaining unit of 150 individuals voted unanimously to affiliate with the AFT and CFT

“We are excited to welcome the Lycée Français Association Lapérouse to the CFT family,” said Sandra Weese, CFT Organizing Director, “and we look forward to helping them prepare for contract negotiations.”

CFT grows through internal organizing
Nearly 1000 new members joined CFT in the past year through new affiliations, new units in local unions and more workplace outreach. Below are the local unions who won Membership Growth Awards this year.

BY NUMBER OF MEMBERS

  • FIRST Cerritos College Faculty Federation 248 new members
  • SECOND AFT Guild, San Diego and Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community Colleges 162 new members
  • THIRD Berkeley Council of Classified Employees 84 new members

BY PERCENTAGE INCREASE

  • FIRST Cerritos College Faculty Federation 49 percent
  • SECOND Allan Hancock College Part-Time Faculty Association 38 percent and Palomar College Council of Classified Employees 29 percent
  • THIRD Citrus College Adjunct Faculty Federation 28 percent