Fall 2020
Volume 32, Number 1
Part-time faculty win 100 percent pay parity, distance education support
In spite of the pandemic, a number of local unions have won big gains for adjuncts, from parity pay to distance education, to the preservation of healthcare for adjuncts with reduced loads. The Peralta Federation negotiates 100 percent pay parity!
Faculty all out to pass Prop 15 on Nov. 3
California is at an educational crossroads made dire by the coronavirus pandemic, and Proposition 15 is an important step in getting California back on the right track. It is vital for adjuncts to vote for Prop 15, not to simply protect their positions, but to protect California public education.
• Voting now? Use our Educators Choice voter guide
CFT faculty pass national shared governance resolution
At the first-ever virtual AFT Convention this summer, delegates passed the first-ever AFT resolution supporting “inclusion and compensation” for adjunct faculty participation in campus shared governance. The resolution was crafted jointly by UC-AFT and the CFT Part-Time Faculty Committee.
First-in-nation Student Borrower Bill of Rights
The CFT co-sponsored Student Borrower Bill of Rights will make California the first state in the nation to create a comprehensive set of rights for people holding student debt. Read about this landmark new law.
Workers’ Comp now covers getting COVID-19 at work
The new union-sponsored Workers’ Compensation law says that an employee’s illness related to coronavirus is an occupational injury and makes the worker eligible for benefits if specified criteria are met. Learn about it and the fate of other legislation, including the “85 percent” bill.
Opinion | Higher Education in America is sick
Students and instructors are now confined to the domains of their computer screens. Off-screen, another world exists — one of harried and exhausted instructors, students struggling to stay involved and engaged, and both groups, along with their family members and communities, dealing not only with the threat or presence of COVID in their lives, but lost or reduced income, lack of access to healthcare, and even the threat of eviction. We can ill afford to let higher education die.
QUICK TAKES
Vote now! Use The Educators Choice voter guide
Get our CFT endorsements – fast! Remember to sign and date your mail ballot envelope before returning it. Vote smart and vote early!
Next week is Campus Equity Week – #classcanceled
Campus Equity Week is a time of education and activism that draws attention to the working conditions of faculty working on temporary, low-paid contracts, who now constitute the majority of college instructors. The pandemic has put a damper on CEW activities, but the week is still being recognized on social media with the hashtag #classcanceled.
CFT scholarships for high school seniors
Support for college tuition has never been more important. Children or dependents of members in good standing are eligible for $3000 or $1000 scholarships. The deadline for high school seniors to apply for a CFT scholarship is December 15.
COVID-19 resources from the union
We continue to update our collection of coronavirus resources, from face covering use to unemployment and reopening guidelines. Here’s a sampling of what’s available:
- Reopening Guidelines — CFT, AFT and government guidelines
- Unemployment – Guide to applying during the pandemic
- Union Toolkit — AFT workplace rights and personal health bulletins
- Distance Learning — official sources and CFT-curated collection
- Culture & Calm at Home — for when you just need a break