Home Hero
Safe Havens
A movement is underway in California and across the nation to protect our most vulnerable students and their families from President Trump’s anti-immigrant executive orders. The CFT has created this online toolkit for educators, students and families with links and downloads from numerous advocacy organizations.
Classified Conference 2019
Join us in Glendale for our annual event!
Our annual Classified Conference promises learning and fun. The 2019 conference will take place October 18-20 at Hilton Los Angeles North in Glendale. You can attend workshops and seminars on a variety of professional issues and enjoy our Saturday evening soirée. Key information for conference attendees follows.
100 West Glenoaks Blvd.
Glendale, California 91202
Governor signs eight union bills — landmark charter reform, shortened classified probation, loan forgiveness
Legislative Update
September 13 marked the end of the first year of the two-year legislative session, in which an unprecedented 10 CFT-sponsored or co-sponsored bills passed the Legislature and made it to the governor’s desk for his consideration. The governor had until October 13 to sign or veto those bills that made it to his desk.
Part-timer takes the helm at State Center Federation of Teachers
One of the great powers of a union is its ability to uplift the living conditions and status of its members, not just at the bargaining table, but within the structure of the union itself — when the seemingly most marginalized members assume leadership roles.
Governor signs loan forgiveness bill, vetoes paid maternity leave
From the Capitol – On the cusp of good things for part-timers
Budgetarily, it’s been a tough year for winning greater gains for part-timers in Sacramento, but with regard to legislation which CFT succeeded in getting to the governor’s desk, and for legislation already in the wings for next year, part-timers are on the edge of good things.
What I learned in my research of the “Involuntary Adjunct”
By Bobbi-Lee Smart
My dissertation research focused on the perceptions of the impact of adjuncts on community college campuses in Southern California. I specifically wanted to understand the reality of involuntary adjuncts — those whose who want full-time tenure track jobs, couldn’t get a position, so worked as “full-time” adjuncts (those whose adjunct work is the majority or entirety of their income).
The key findings of my research and interviews follow.
Grassroots effort leads to historic charter school reform
Updated October 3, 2019
On Thursday, October 3, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1505, a historic charter school reform bill that is essential to ensuring charter schools are accountable to local communities and all California students. The new law follows months of incredible organizing and weeks of intense negotiations, during which CFT leaders, members, and staff have stood with fellow educators, school workers, parents, and students to push for reform.
Student loan forgiveness: Bill aims to help part-time faculty in California
AFT wants to hear from those denied application
Update: AB 463 has passed both the California Senate and Assembly and is currently on the Governor’s desk. He has until October 13 to sign or veto the legislation.
Presently working its way through the Assembly, AB 463, Cervantes, D-Riverside, seeks to make it easier for California part-time community college instructors to gain eligibility for the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
New state program matches funds classified employees set aside
What you need to know about Classified School Employee Summer Assistance
Bernard Benson is enrolled in the new Classified School Employee Summer Assistance Program. His deductions began in August and will continue through June. The state will match his savings up to a dollar for dollar in July.
“It would be ludicrous for me not to participate,” explained Benson. “Where else can I set aside $200 a month for 11 months and make a 100 percent return on my investment?”
AB 500 – Paid maternity leave for teachers and school workers
We are sorry to report that Governor Newsom has vetoed AB 500. Despite overwhelming bipartisan votes in both the Assembly and Senate, the fierce opposition to the bill from K-12 and community college districts was too much to overcome. Thanks to the nearly 2,000 CFT members and allies who wrote letters to the Governor, urging him to sign AB 500. We will continue to fight for educators and school workers who wish to start families.
100 years of the CFT — a capsule history
The CFT turns 100 on May 31, 2019. To kick off this anniversary year, California Teacher digs into the archives to present a commemorative issue about the rich history of our statewide federation of unions. The big events — legislation, elections, social trends — described here affected every member. But this capsule history cannot possibly relate the profound impact almost 100 years of activism had on thousands of individual education workers.
CFT lands an unprecedented 10 bills on the governor’s desk
Legislative Update
Of this year’s 16 CFT-sponsored or co-sponsored bills, the union lobbied successfully to pass 10 of them through the Legislature and onto the governor’s desk for his consideration. The governor has until October 13 to sign or veto the bills.
September 13 marked the end of the first year of the two-year legislative session. Six of CFT’s bills became two-year bills and will be considered again when the Legislature returns from Interim Recess on January 6.
Improved corporate tax reform initiative refiled with state
CFT working with coalition to put funding measure on the 2020 ballot
This week, the Schools & Communities First campaign refiled the the split roll ballot initiative with significant improvements. The refiling is a result of organizing during 2018 that allowed the campaign to hear feedback from stakeholders across the state on the ballot measure, and to consult with California’s leading policy and legal experts. CFT is a key member of the campaign coalition.
Unions weather the storm and look to build a brighter future
Happy Labor Day 2019
FIRST PERSON | Jim Miller
These last few years have been particularly challenging times for the American labor movement as we’ve faced everything from a host of anti-labor policies coming from Washington to a Supreme Court decision designed to gut public sector unions. The good news is that despite all of that, the union movement has persevered and the number of Americans who support unions and say they would like the opportunity to join one is the highest it has been in decades.
CFT members testify before Select Committee on Ending the School to Prison Pipeline
On Wednesday, June 26 three CFT members testified at the State Capitol at the first ever hearing of the California Assembly Select Committee on Ending the School to Prison Pipeli
Creating Safe Havens: Resources for educators and families
Add a redirect on this “pointer post” so users are taken to the “real” spot on the site.
Key bills advance before Legislature takes summer recess
Legislative Update
Friday, July 12, was the last day for policy committees to meet and report bills out. This day also marked the beginning of the Legislature’s summer recess.
California Senate honors CFT’s 100th Anniversary
On May 16, the California Senate presented CFT leaders a resolution in honor of the Federation’s 100th Anniversary. The text of the resolution follows.
Whereas, The CFT was founded in 1919 to provide a labor union alternative for classroom teachers and celebrates its 100th year anniversary on May 31, 2019;and
Whereas, the CFT is a union of professionals affiliated with the more than 1.7 million member American Federation of Teachers, and through it with the AFL-CIO; and
The birth of a statewide Federation
A piece of our history is revealed for the first time
By Dennis Kelly
On May 16, 1918, J.P. Utter wrote to the president of the AFT to remind him that a year earlier Utter had asked about chartering a local. In that year, the Vallejo teachers had organized 57 of 58 teachers and principals, had elected two officers, created a salary committee that delivered a raise, demanded and won 12 monthly paychecks, and had created a temporary organization. Utter enclosed $10 for the charter fee.
What To Do Between Strikes
An essay by Raoul Teilhet
Editor’s note: This essay was
presented to CFT Convention on March 9, 2002. Because of
Raoul Teilhet’s Parkinson’s disease, it was read by then-Vice
President Greg Camacho-Light, a drama teacher from the Gilroy
Federation of Teachers and Paraprofessionals. Gov. Gray Davis
attended convention that day and officially named it Raoul
Teilhet Day.
By Raoul Teilhet
Memoir of a Union Lobbyist: 50 Years Looking Back
Editor’s note: This memoir was originally published as “30 Years Looking Back” in August 1999 by the Institute of Industrial Relations in CPER, A Periodical of Employee Relations in the Public Sector.
By Mary Bergan
I begin with Robert Reich’s admonition that a memoir is not a history. It chronicles events as the writer remembers them. This is a memoir.