Newsroom
Two educators receive Women in Education Awards
Inspiring females lead the way in making workplaces better
Kati Bassler, the president of Salinas Valley Federation of Teachers and Linda Delp, UCLA Faculty Union, shared this year’s CFT’s Women in Education Award, given for promoting the rights of women and issues of gender equity in the workplace.
Cathy Campbell honored with Ben Rust Award
Berkeley leader speaks to importance of women in union leadership roles
Long-time Berkeley Federation of Teachers president and CFT Vice President Cathy Campbell, the winner of the CFT’s highest honor, the Ben Rust Award, opened by thanking classified employees and teachers for all they had done to keep students safe, get them food, and make sure they could learn during the pandemic.
Rob Bonta named Legislator of the Year
Addresses delegates on cusp of becoming state Attorney General
This year’s Legislator of the Year award went to Oakland Assemblymember Rob Bonta. In his first public address since Governor Newsom appointed him to fill Xavier Becerra’s position as California attorney general after Becerra became Secretary of U.S. Health and Human Services, Bonta spoke to the CFT Convention.
In the vanguard, fighting for transgender rights
Activist Ebony Harper steps up in the face of oppression
The director of California TRANScends, Ebony Ava Harper, addressed the CFT Convention on Friday morning, March 26, talking about working for climate and disability justice and race equity, as well as trans rights.
New U.S. Senator Alex Padilla addresses delegates
First Latino senator put voting rights first as Secretary of State
Alex Padilla, California’s Secretary of State until Governor Newsom appointed him to the U.S. Senate seat left open by Kamala Harris when she became vice president, addressed delegates on the first morning of the CFT Virtual Convention.
CFT Virtual Convention brings hope and change
OVERVIEW — Delegates welcome Kamala Harris
The 78th CFT Convention with the theme Rise Up, Recover, and Rebuild had some firsts: the first one to be biennial rather than annual; the first under CFT’s new identity, A Union of Educators and Classified Professionals; the first with Jeff Freitas as the CFT president; and, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the first one held virtually.
CFT mourns the passing of three vice presidents
In Memoriam
The CFT mourns the passing of three vice presidents in recent months.
Gemma Abels was an English teacher, former president of the Morgan Hill Federation of Teachers, and a CFT Vice President. She passed away last fall following a five-year battle with ovarian cancer.
State of the Union 2021
Delivered by CFT President Jeffery Freitas on March 26, 2021
Good morning, CFT. I’m thrilled to be here with all of you—my fellow CFT leaders, all my union siblings, CFT and local union staff, and invited guests.
This year’s Convention has a lot of firsts. It is my first State of the Union speech as CFT president and my first time presiding as chair of the Convention. This is the first of our biennial conventions which we approved in 2018 through a constitutional amendment by this very body. And, this is the first-ever virtual CFT Convention. While we are making the best of the current circumstances, I sincerely hope it will be the last virtual convention.
Honoring CFT members elected to public office
Meet 36 education workers who have taken the bold step
Every day, dozens of CFT members finish their shift, pivot, and begin a second job as an elected official. They bring passion, creativity and a commitment to public service. The CFT members listed below have taken the bold step to run for public office, and have been elected. Find their names, local unions, and a link to the public office each member holds.
Governor signs COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave
Most California workers can get two weeks of paid sick leave if they get COVID
On March 19, 2021, Governor Newsom extended COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave to provide California employees with two weeks of paid sick leave when they cannot work for reasons related to COVID-19. To qualify, you must work for an employer with 25 or more employees. This legislation applies to both public and private sector workers.
- SB 95 takes effect on March 29, 2021, and will be retroactive to January 1, 2021.
- It expires on September 30, 2021.
CFT analyzes governor’s proposed education budget for 2021-22
Research Brief
Governor Newsom introduced his proposed $227 billion budget for 2021-22 on January 8. The proposed budget is starkly different from what lawmakers anticipated when they finalized the 2020-21 budget, largely because of much larger than expected tax receipts.
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.