Resolutions and Policy
Ensure safe, high-priority COVID-19 vaccines for all school employees
Whereas, the Trump administration’s chaotic and overtly politicized response to the COVID-19 pandemic has needlessly risked the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans, and we have entered a dangerous time in our nation’s politics where even fundamental and scientifically noncontroversial public health responses have been deeply politicized and ignored by many; and
CFT call to remove from office Donald Trump, seven California congressmembers, and Senators Hawley and Cruz
Whereas, on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, Donald J. Trump made it excruciatingly clear why he should not be President of the United States of America when he deliberately directed, encouraged, and incited his base, a group of terrorists, to storm the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., who then trespassed against, burglarized, and vandalized our primary seat of democracy, and threatened the lives of duly elected officials performing their constitutional responsibilities therein, as the world watched in horror; and
Defending American Democracy
October 30, 2020
Whereas, the American democracy has been overtly threatened through voter suppression, misinformation, scare tactics, and other actions limiting the full voice and will of the people; and
CFT believes that Black Lives Matter
June 17, 2020
Whereas, CFT is a Union of Educators and Classified Professionals representing more than 120,000 employees working at every level of public and private education from Head Start to Universities of California, many of whom come from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, specifically Black racial and ethnic backgrounds; and
Whereas, CFT condemns those building blocks of racial oppression, anti-Black racism, and unconscious biases that provide the structural support for America’s historical foundation of systemic racism; and
Raise community college part-time faculty workload to 80 percent
Whereas, existing California law (Assembly Bill 951, 2008) establishes that the contingent, part-time faculty workload is capped at 67 percent, amounting to no more than 10 units, or approximately two to three classes; and
Whereas, existing California law (Assembly Bill 951, 2008) establishes that the contingent, part-time faculty workload is capped at 67 percent, amounting to no more than 10 units, or approximately two to three classes; and
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
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