Newsroom
Robert Chacanaca: The workers’ advocate
When he accepted the Raoul Teilhet Educate, Agitate, Organize Award, Robert Chacanaca, known as “Chaca,” asked for a moment of silence to remember Teilhet, the former CFT president who successfully pursued collective bargaining.
CFT supports families of missing Mexican students
Survivor tells horrific tale of persecution and murder
Angel Neri described the unique education given students at the Raul Isidro Burgos School in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero, in his speech at CFT Convention. The school takes students from rural farming communities, trains them as teachers, and then encourages them to return to work in schools in the poorest, most remote communities in Mexico. This has earned the school the enmity of corrupt and violent elements of Mexican society.
Librarian masters digital tools for workplace and union
Carla Arbagey creates infographics to illustrate workload
UC Riverside librarian Carla Arbagey says, “Technology is like air to me.” It is essential in the library, where she integrates systems and tracks information on more than 3.4 million items. She is the winner of the 2014 Technology New Leader Award from the California Library Association, and a self-described “type-A personality” who likes things to be tidy, organized, and efficient.
Jeff Duncan-Andrade: The effect of toxic stress on student lives
Jeff Duncan-Andrade grew up in Oakland, the youngest of seven children. He remembers one day when his mother sat him down, showed him a glass of water, and asked him if it was half full or half empty.
Paul Fong: A champion to educators
Politics is the lifeblood of the work we do,” said CFT Vice President David Yancey. “Great political allies are worth their weight in gold.”
Members speak out for union priorities in Capitol
Lobby Day focuses on community schools, charter schools, accreditation
On April 21, educators fanned out in the Capitol to talk directly to their legislators about what really happens at school and the need to pass priority bills.
Former part-timer chairs Assembly Higher Education Committee
Teaching background brings understanding, nuanced solutions
Community College Council President Jim Mahler says having Assemblyman Jose Medina as the new chair of the Committee on Higher Education is a gold mine.
Why? Because Medina, before going into politics, was a high school teacher in the Riverside Unified School District and a part-time teacher at three different community colleges, active in his union. He knows first-hand the insecurity part-timers have to deal with — cobbling together a schedule, finding enough work to support themselves, and worrying about their classes being cancelled.
Tom Torlakson: Suspends Academic Performance Index despite Duncan’s threats
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson has a vision consistent with educators, according to CFT President Joshua Pechthalt.
“He’s going to fight for public education” Pechthalt said. “He’s not going to let the ‘deformers’ have their way.”
Alisa Messer: Advocating for women and diversity
Joined onstage by other women from City College of San Francisco, English instructor Alisa Messer received the CFT Women in Education Award.
“Make it Fair” creates real change for California
By Josh Pechthalt, CFT President
California’s largest, oldest corporations have not been paying their fair share for more than 35 years. As a result, the state has lost billions of dollars in uncollected property tax revenues — a major factor pushing our public schools to the national bottom in per pupil spending and class size average. The state’s most at-risk families and individuals have also seen essential services repeatedly cut for more than a generation.
Betty Yee: State Controller’s story of immigrant success
Betty Yee said she owes her job as California’s 32nd controller in part to public education — the San Francisco Unified School District and UC Berkeley. She offered a heartfelt thanks to the CFT for its work to get her elected in a tight race.
Classified staff: We wear many hats
Lab techs. Secretaries. Bus drivers. Groundskeepers. Food service workers. The varied hats classified staff members wear cover a multitude of job roles, said Carl Williams, a senior custodian and president of the Lawndale Federation of Classified Employees. He had members pick up a hat and come on stage when they heard their job title called out.