Newsroom
Don’t sign! State initiative attacks public employee pensions
San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed is mounting a major attack on educators’ pensions. He has filed a voter initiative with the Secretary of State and may start collecting signatures in early 2014 to qualify it for the November ballot.
Local unions give back to their communities
CFT members are well out in front of the AFL-CIO’s new resolve to ramp up its partnering with community allies. Educators are linking arms with new and familiar community partners in efforts that especially resonate during the holidays.
Educators score local ballot box victories
Coalition building proves critical to electoral success
“We phone-banked until we couldn’t talk any more,” reported Pamela Ford, president of the Antelope Valley College Federation of Classified Employees, in describing how her local union worked with campus faculty and community allies to elect Barbara Gaines, a middle school principal, to the board of trustees in this conservative high desert region.
Where can families get the best parenting support? From the union!
If you ask your child what he did in school today and get “Nothing,” then ask a more specific question, like “What was the most difficult thing you did today?” This was one of many suggestions fourth grade teacher Michele Bantugan offered 40 parents attending a workshop on communicating with their children at Daly City’s Westlake Elementary School on November 21.
New booklet! Know Your Rights: A guide to workplace laws for classified employees and paraprofessionals
This new 40-page booklet provides a comprehensive analysis of the California Education Code as it relates to classified employees. It includes topics such as hours of employment, vacation and leaves, refusal to perform unsafe work, layoff and reemployment, collective bargaining rights and much more.The booklet also covers the federal Family and Medical Leave Act and contains the Weingarten Rights.
2014 brings new professional opportunities
By Paula A. Phillips, President, CFT Council of Classified Employees
As 2013 winds to a close and we look back on the year, there are many reasons for classified employees to be thankful. After years of cuts, more resources are flowing into schools and colleges, thanks to our efforts to pass Prop. 30. K-12 education will see a more equitable funding formula and a new law requires more consideration of classified staff in district professional development plans.
Preventing violence on campus and preparing for disaster
Nothing inspires fear like the thought of a gunman on a rampage. There have been 115 “active shooter” incidents reported across the United States since July 2012 causing the tragic loss of 85 lives and hundreds of injuries.
Several of the deadliest incidents have been on campus. In June, a heavily armed gunman killed three people in the neighborhood surrounding Santa Monica College, then claimed three more victims on campus, including a custodian and his daughter.
Affordable Care Act helps uninsured part-time workers
Lisa Agcaoili paces nervously as she waits to speak with a Covered California counselor in a West Los Angeles College cafeteria. Thousands of people have come to a Health and Enrollment Fair for solid information about their options under the Affordable Care Act.
Agcaoili hasn’t had insurance in the more than 20 years she has worked for the Lawndale Elementary School District. The part-time instructional assistant works fewer than 30 hours a week and isn’t eligible for district health plans. She is over 50 and suffers migraines daily.
More local action from around the state
»Menifee Council of Classified Employees negotiated five bereavement leave days for members, matching the number district teachers have.
»Tuolumne County Council of Classified Employees won a 3.15 percent increase in compensation for classified employees in the county office.
»United Educators of San Francisco published a booklet, Paraprofessionals and their Union, detailing the history of district paras and their union.
Palomar staff forge alliance with faculty, see major gains, doubling of membership
The Palomar College Council of Classified Employees and campus administrators in San Marcos settled a contract and memorandum of understanding that moved the staff forward by three major steps. 1) The 385 unit members received a $2,000 lump sum salary increase and 0.72 percent, plus a 3 percent raise that faculty also received. 2) This first contract replaced a 25-year-old employee handbook. 3) The local won binding arbitration for grievances.
Berkeley cooking and gardening program seeks funding
Community support saved an innovative cooking and gardening program that faced closure last spring, but only leftovers remain after the Berkeley Unified School District cut two-thirds of the budget.
“Even the chickens in the garden were given away because no one was left to tend them,” said Daria Wrubel of the Berkeley Council of Classified Employees. Wrubel taught gardening to 450 students at Thousand Oaks Elementary before she and more than half the classified staff were cut.
Unions partner with community allies, old and new
Classified are well outin front of the AFL-CIO’s new resolve to ramp up its partnering with community allies. Members are linking arms in efforts that especially resonate during the holidays.
Every child deserves Shoes that Fit
The College Staff Guild in Los Angeles is working with Shoes That
Fit to help kids start their day on the right foot. The
non-profit is dedicated to providing new shoes to needy children
so they can attend school in comfort and with dignity.