Resolutions and Policy
Policies, Positions and Resolutions
The CFT passes resolutions on a wide range of issues that affect members in our different membership constituencies and that address other state, national and international issues of importance to the union and to our vision for California and beyond. Many resolutions are passed at the union’s biennial Convention, but the State Council and Executive Council also adopt resolutions.
Call for timeline and special education services IDEA waiver during pandemic
May 2, 2020
Whereas, COVID-19 is a global pandemic that is impacting the world to a degree we have not seen in a lifetime. We are experiencing extremely unusual and unexpected circumstances that negatively affect all aspects of teaching and learning, work and life;
Whereas, the economic impact of COVID-19 has surpassed the economic recession of 2008 and may become as significant as the Great Depression;
Whereas, the current unemployment rate has already surpassed 30 million applicants and is steadily increasing;
Support students with disabilities and special educators
May 2, 2020
Whereas, nationwide, local educational agencies are required by federal law, through The Individuals With Disabilities Act (IDEA), to provide appropriate and comprehensive educational programs for students with disabilities (SWDs); and
Whereas, federal funding for support services for these students continuously falls short of the ever-increasing cost of special education services; and
Support the voluntary “Pledge Your Stimulus Check!” Campaign
May 2, 2020
Whereas, educators in California know the struggle our undocumented families face in one of the richest states, in the richest country in the world; and
Whereas, our union, along with the AFT, has advocated for legal and worker rights and protections for undocumented people, including supporting the demand to shut down inhumane detention centers, an end to the ICE raids, and comprehensive immigration reform; and
Encourage contingent faculty participation in shared governance
May 2, 2020
Whereas, community colleges and universities regularly hire contingent faculty; and
Whereas, contingent faculty are required to hold the same academic qualifications and credentials as their full-time colleagues; and
Whereas, qualified contingent faculty are rehired for years; and
Require Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion training for higher education employees
May 2, 2020
Whereas, discrimination contributes to the underrepresentation of historically marginalized groups;
Whereas, conscious and unconscious bias can affect the learning and teaching environment — both online and offline — in a detrimental way and create a hostile working and learning environment;
Endorse the CROWN Act that bans racial discrimination based on hairstyles
May 2, 2020
Whereas, as passed in 2019 the mission of the CFT states that we will represent its members’ interests and the interests of the communities they serve through collective bargaining, legislative advocacy, political action, and organizing;
Whereas, dress codes that target and limit self-expression, such as hair and clothing, are all forms of micro-aggression aimed primarily at communities of color, specifically the Black community;
Support fully utilizing Defense Production Act to obtain PPE, medical supplies for COVID-19 pandemic response
April 25, 2020
Whereas, President Trump declared a national emergency on March 13, 2020, due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic; and
Whereas, the United States does not have the supplies that it needs to fight the novel coronavirus, including PPE for healthcare workers such as N95 respirator masks, medical supplies and devices such as ventilator machines for patients who are having difficulty breathing, and diagnostic testing supplies including testing swabs and testing reagents; and
2019 Resolutions
From Schools and Communities First to the Green New Deal
Links to resolutions passed by the CFT during 2019 can be found here. The resolutions are grouped by category.
Vote of no confidence in the community college chancellor
May 3, 2019
Whereas, the principle of participatory governance in the California Community Colleges has been established and codified in law (AB 1725); and
Whereas, participatory governance only functions when it is practiced at all levels of the administration and faculty governing bodies; and
Whereas, confidence in the leadership of the chief executive of a college system is integral to the effective administration of the California Community College mission; and
Call for California to tax all income subject to the federal carried interest tax break
March 24, 2019
Whereas, private equity firms, hedge funds, and other financial entities make exorbitant fees for investing other people’s money; and
Whereas, the owners of these firms receive up to 20 percent of the profits on these investments of other people’s money as “carried interest”; and
Whereas, the federal government taxes carried interest at only 20 percent; and
Whereas, regular income received by high-income private equity and hedge fund managers would face a tax rate of 37 percent; and
Craft model resolution for Schools and Communities First initiative
March 24, 2019
Whereas, the CFT endorsed the Schools and Communities First ballot initiative for the November 2020 ballot; and
Whereas, there is momentum around funding in the nationwide public education movement; and
Whereas, the CFT needs to organize and mobilize at the grassroots level in every community to pass this initiative;
Support creation of national speculation reduction tax for U.S. financial markets
March 24, 2019
Whereas, the stock markets do not accurately reflect the underlying health of the U.S. economy, but rather are primarily driven by the speculative bets made by ultrawealthy speculators; and
Whereas, the daily shifts in the values of corporate stocks have almost no impact on the lives of most Americans; and
Whereas, less than half of all Americans directly own shares of corporate stock, and less than a third own more than $5,000 worth of stock; and
Support free public transportation for students, early childhood through college
March 24, 2019
Whereas, students may struggle financially and/or with safety issues to get to school; and
Whereas, helping students get to school increases student achievement and reduces absences; and
Whereas, getting students to school increases Average Daily Attendance (ADA) revenue; and
Whereas, districts across the state have reduced or eliminated school transportation services at the peril of ADA revenue; and
Support statewide movement for student equity: End stigma of lifelong labels by using People First Language
March 24, 2019
Whereas, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) states that “Special Education is a service, not a place;” and
Whereas, as their Project Based Learning (PBL) project, students from El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera have requested the removal of any special education label, while increasing rigorous A-G curriculum coursework, academic awards upon graduation, and preparation for continuing education; and
Close the UC wage theft loophole
March 24, 2019
Whereas, public sector workers are currently exempt from California wage and hour law under §220 of the Labor Code, and when workers are not paid for regular or overtime work, employers are not subject to penalty by the State Department of Labor Standards and Enforcement; and
Whereas, University Council-AFT faculty regularly perform research and service work that the University of California deems “voluntary” and refuses to adequately compensate for; and
School safety: Include lockdown kits in classrooms
March 24, 2019
Whereas, the safety of the faculty, staff and students is of utmost importance; and
Whereas, lockdowns are becoming more common and can last for hours with no facilities for sanitation; and
Whereas, in the event of an emergency or lockdown, educators become disaster service workers (California Education Code Sections 3100-3109) and are expected to serve the institution and students; and
Support affordable housing for educators and classified professionals
March 24, 2019
Whereas, educator and classified professional pay has not kept pace with inflation and the cost of living; and
Whereas, there are school closures and schools far below capacity; and
Whereas, there are school districts with a surplus of property; and
Whereas, districts statewide are experiencing a teacher shortage; and
Whereas, educators and classified professionals often cannot afford to live in the communities in which they work; and
Amend HEERA to permit contract faculty inclusion in the UC Academic Senate
March 24, 2019
Whereas, the current text of Section 3579.e of the Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act (HEERA) reads: “the only appropriate representation units including members of the academic senate of the University of California shall be either a single statewide unit consisting of all eligible members of the senate, or divisional units consisting of all eligible members of a division of the senate;” and
Support compensation for educational employees during lockdown
March 24, 2019
Whereas, the community colleges regularly hire temporary part-time educators to fulfill teaching and counseling needs; and
Whereas, temporary part-time educators are required to hold the same academic qualifications and credentials as their full-time colleagues; and
Whereas, in the event of an emergency or lockdown, educators become disaster service workers (California Education Code, Sections 3100-3109) and are expected to serve the institution and students; and
Support part-time faculty participation in shared governance
March 24, 2019
Whereas, community colleges regularly hire temporary part-time faculty; and
Whereas, temporary part-time faculty are required to hold the same academic qualifications and credentials as their full-time colleagues; and
Whereas, qualified temporary part-time faculty are rehired for years; and