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Overview

Resources

Union Media

  • CFT United is the CFT’s all-union magazine that contains information relevant to members including a section specific to the issues of classified employees.
  • Classified Insider contains valuable news and information about the workplace issues of California classified employees and paraprofessionals and is emailed to members.
  • AFT PSRP Reporter covers issues of relevance to classified employees and support staff members of the AFT Paraprofessional and School-Related Personnel (PSRP) division and is part of AFT Voices.
  • Subscribe to the AFT PSRP email that contains news and information for classified employee and paraeducator members of the AFT.

Organizing Materials

  • Get to Know Your CCE! 
    Learn more about the officers of the Council of Classified Employees on this flyer.
  • How Can You Participate? 
    Learn how you can get involved in the Council of Classified Employees and the larger CFT on this flyer.
  • Poster:
    Be a UNIONIST – United in Fighting for Fairness, Prosperity, Justice, Equality. Post this colorful piece in your workplace!

Know Your Rights

  • CalOSHA Health-and-Safety Rights for Workers: 
    This concise booklet produced by the Department of Industrial Relations/Cal-OSHA outlines the injury and illness prevention program required by your employer under the California Labor Code, your right to a workplace inspection, your right to refuse hazardous work, and your right to obtain documents and records.
  • Know Your Rights: A guide to workplace laws for classified employees and paraprofessionals in California 
    A comprehensive 40-page analysis of the California Education Code as it relates to classified employees and paraprofessionals covers topics such as hours of employment, vacation and leaves, refusal to perform unsafe work and collective bargaining rights, plus the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. It also contains your Weingarten Rights.
  • Family and medical leave
    Our articles defines the leaves available in federal laws, state codes, and individual collective bargaining agreements. Your union local may also bargain improvements.

Our Classified Voice is Strong

At CalPERS

CalPERS is the retirement system for numerous groups of public employees in California, including many members of the classified service. The CCE monitors CalPERS actions and sends a representative to its board meetings. 

  • Mike O’Neill, a bus driver and member of the Jefferson AFT Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 1481, is the CCE liaison for CalPERS.

In the Community Colleges

The Consultation Council of the California Community Colleges comprises 18 representatives who have an opportunity to advise the chancellor and board of governors on state policy decisions. Thanks to successful CFT-sponsored legislation, classified staff now have two seats on the council.

  • Pamela Ford, president of the Antelope Valley Federation of Classified Employees, AFT Local 4683, is the CFT representative on the Consultation Council.
Article coronavirus Up Front staff shortage

Back-to-School Tour puts staff shortage in stark perspective
Dedication and inspired work of our members must be recognized

By Jeffery M. Freitas, CFT President

In early August, Luukia Smith, Lacy Barnes, and I ventured up and down the state on a three week Back-to-School, Forward Together Tour. We visited with early childhood educators, TK-12 teachers, classified workers, adult education teachers, and part-time community college faculty. We witnessed firsthand students learning in-person. We saw the incredible school communities our members have helped to build and visited campuses and classrooms to see CFT members in action.

Article lecturers coronavirus

Back to the classroom, but no contract
Facing inequity, lack of COVID protections, 96% of UC-AFT members vote to authorize strike

As they have for the past two years, lecturers at the University of California continue their effort to get the administration to bargain a fair contract. The last agreement between the university and the University Council-AFT, expired on January 31, 2020. The union’s negotiating committee has met with UC’s bargaining team on 50 occasions, yet the four most fundamental issues are still outstanding — high turnover rates, lack of performance reviews, widespread uncompensated labor, and compensation itself.

Article

CFT launches new identity to reflect diverse membership
Classified employees gain more recognition

This spring, CFT launched a new identity in recognition of its diverse membership. A primary goal of the rebrand was to integrate the tagline A Union of Educators and Classified Professionals to acknowledge that CFT represents more than teachers and faculty members.

Our diverse union also represents dozens of job classifications for classified employees and support staff, paraprofessionals, as well as certificated librarians, psychologists, speech pathologists, and many others, all of whom contribute to the success of our students’ education.

Article part-time faculty

Adjuncts at the table to win a New Deal for Higher Education
National campaign calls for sea change in higher ed

While the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified longstanding societal inequities in America, public higher education was already in a state of crisis, from the staggering costs of college, to the lack of access and support for lower income students, Black, indigenous, and people of color, the deteriorating, or clear lack of infrastructure, the reciprocal increase in highly paid administrative positions, and last but not least, decrease in full-time tenure track positions.

Article wildfires environment

Staying safe at work and home during wildfires
Monitor air quality, know workplace safety and emergency response protocols

With wildfires burning in the north and south of our state, here is some helpful information about air quality, worker safety, and supporting families in need. 

Air quality

You can find the Air Quality Index in your area by entering your zip code in the EPA’s AirNow online calculator, which is also available as an app for your mobile device. Purpleair.com is also a useful resource run by a private company, offering hyper-local air quality monitoring in many areas.

Article Recall Election 2021

Recall Ballot FAQ – “Just vote NO and go!”
Confused? You are not alone. What you need to know about the recall ballot

Most voters have received their mail ballots for the September 14 Recall Election and the CFT is hearing many questions. Here we answer the most common questions about the recall ballot and voting and share CFT recommendations and resources. 

Article Recall Election 2021

What do our elected leaders say about the recall?
Governor Newsom leads the nation in worker protections. Vote NO on the recall

While Governor Newsom continues to have our backs by putting in place the strongest worker protections in the nation, anti-union special interests are funneling millions into the recall campaign to weaken or eliminate laws that protect our pay, health care, retirement and safety on the job.

Article Wealth Tax coronavirus

CFT sponsors California tax on extreme wealth
Why tax extreme wealth?

Since the beginning of the pandemic last March, while our families and our communities have suffered gut-wrenching pain and loss, billionaires in our state alone have increased their wealth by over half a trillion dollars.

And their numbers and their extreme wealth just keep on growing. In March 2020, just as COVID began, there were 154 billionaires in California – with a total wealth of $688.3 billion. In January 2021, there were 169 billionaires in California – with a total wealth of more than $1.2 trillion.

Article pay parity part-time faculty

CFT seeks 85% adjunct teaching load, statewide path to pay parity
Union-sponsored legislation tackles long-standing adjunct issues

After last year’s heavily pandemic-impacted legislative session reduced the number of bills signed to its lowest number since 1967, the CFT is again taking up the adjunct cause on bills directed towards raising the part-time percentage cap on teaching in a single district, and in developing a path towards part-time/full-time pay parity.

Article Classified Summer Assistance Program

More members join Classified Summer Assistance Program
AFT locals work successfully with districts to implement program

Tens of thousands of classified staff in K-12 school districts across California have signed up for the third year of an innovative state program to support some of the lowest paid employees on campus.

The Classified School Employee Summer Assistance Program (CSESAP) allows eligible staff to withhold up to 10 percent of their monthly salary during the school year, and receive that money — matched by the state up to a dollar for a dollar — in one or two payments the following summer.