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Now that November 3rd has passed, there is one more big push ahead of us to change the course of our nation — the two run-off elections for U.S. Senate in Georgia on January 5.
Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock are challenging incumbent Republican Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, respectively.
With Covid on campus and normal a long way off, strategic action saves classified jobs
Unions save graveyard custodial shift, defeat most of devastating layoff proposal
El Camino College has been slowly resuming activity. Nursing, auto repair, construction and other “essential classes” returned to the Torrance campus in late September, along with scores of custodians, groundkeepers, computer techs and facilities staff.
Returning to normal is another matter. Administrators are trying to eliminate the night shift, even though “graveyard” is typically the busiest time for custodians. Meanwhile, four Covid cases on campus have underlined the pandemic’s ongoing threat, as well as the importance of properly trained and equipped cleaning crews.
San Diego County college staffs tackle food insecurity in their communities
Photo Galleries – Food bank distributions feed thousands of families
March 20 was the last day of on-campus classes for about 18,000 San Diego City College students. The college has maintained a food pantry for needy students, faculty and staff, but AFT Local 1931 stepped up the emergency response in September with monthly giveaways.
Virtual Classified Conference educates, unites, entertains
PHOTO GALLERY – How the pandemic has changed our unions
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CFT capped an unforgettable year with its first virtual Council of Classified Employees conference. The November 14 online meeting focused exclusively on life with the Covid-19 pandemic.
There were also warm moments of old friends seeing each other, the occasional technical glitch, and a madcap show of goofy eyeglasses.
Four new laws classified employees need to know about
From contracting COVID at work to personnel commission changes
Workers’ Comp classifies on-the-job COVID cases as occupational injuries
Senate Bill 1159 (Hill, D-San Mateo) directs the state Workers’ Compensation system to presume that an employee’s COVID-related illness is an occupational injury and therefore the worker eligible for Workers’ Comp benefits if specific criteria are met.
Prop 15 defeated, but our coalition remains strong
CFT members worked so hard to put Proposition 15, also known as Schools & Communities First, on the November ballot and over the finish line right through the close of polling places on Election Day.
But after election day, Prop 15 was trailing by about 400,000 votes with approximately 4 million votes yet to be counted. CFT and campaign allies were optimistic and patient, holding out hope that the measure would amass the votes needed to pass.
PHOTOS: Rallies demand, “Count Every Vote!”
Educators teaching mandated voting rights curriculum could not stay home
The polls closed in Hawaii, the westernmost voting site in the United States, at 1 am eastern time on November 4. At 2:28, less than two hours later, President Trump sent out a tweet announcing that he’d won the election.
Millions of votes had yet to be counted, especially those cast by people voting early because of the coronavirus. But Trump demanded that counting stop, and made false charges of election rigging. He immediately filed suits in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia to stop the count.
Post-election organizing to defend democracy
Count every vote — actions & trainings
Last Friday, the CFT Executive Council unanimously passed a resolution outlining our union’s principles to defend American democracy. The resolution follows a similar resolution passed last week by AFT and highlights four key areas that the CFT believes must be protected:
- Every American citizen registered to vote must be able to vote.
- Every vote must be counted.
- The electoral verdict must be respected.
Top 5 reasons to vote NO on Prop 22
Make corporations pay their fair share!
Although there are many important races, Voting NO on Prop 22 is one of the most important decisions you can make on the ballot this year. Here’s why:
- Uber, Lyft and other giant gig corporations have spent $200 million on Prop 22 in an effort to exempt themselves from all labor laws that protect workers. We’re talking about basic protections like a minimum wage, sick leave, workers’ comp and unemployment insurance. These multi-billion dollar corporations are trying to strip workers of virtually every right we’ve fought decades to enact.
Peralta reaches 100 percent pay parity; locals win distance education support
From course conversion stipends to health benefits extensions
In spite of the pandemic, a number of local unions won big gains for adjuncts, from parity pay to distance education, to the preservation of healthcare for adjuncts with reduced loads. These wins are especially significant at this time in which revenues are falling and concerns over future budgets made many administrators skittish to bargain.
Contingent faculty team up, pass national shared governance policy
AFT Convention adopts resolution crafted by UC and community college faculty
While the COVID-19 pandemic meant that this summer’s AFT Convention had to go virtual, and in turn, resulted in format changes which made schedules tighter, and the work of those attending harder in many respects, one of the great achievements for CFT was the passage of a resolution calling for the right of contingent faculty to participate in shared governance.
Prop 15: It’s not just about closing corporate tax loopholes
It’s about protecting adjunct faculty too!
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.
COVID-19 has not only ravaged the health and lives of countless Californians — it has also ravaged state revenues, with Governor Newsom himself acknowledging overall state revenue declines being in the “tens of billions.”