Resolutions and Policy
CFT Stands Against APEC and Endorses Participation in the Upcoming SF Protests
Whereas Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a multilateral non- governmental forum for trade negotiations among 21 member economies in the Asia Pacific Region, including the United States, Mexico, the Philippines and China, which like NAFTA resulted in the outsourcing of millions of jobs and undermining labor and environmental standards globally; and
Pride Resolution
WHEREAS, over 500 specifically anti-trans bills have been introduced across the country. While many have failed, the rigorous and consistent attack on the trans community is a growing threat and reinforces every homophobic, anti-transgender, backward, and bigoted impulse in our society; and
Support CalSTRS and CalPERS Using Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Criteria in Making Investment Decisions
March 19, 2023
Whereas, institutional investors, because of the size of their portfolios, can influence the behavior of firms in how they deal with their impact on the environment (E), how they treat their workforce (S), and how the governance structure of the firm (G) affects the decision making of the firm; and
Whereas, the CFT for several decades has been pushing CalSTRS and CalPERS to incorporate ESG impacts when making their investment decisions; and
Opposition to the trading of California’s Water Supply on Wall Street
March 19, 2023
Whereas, in 2020 Wall Street began trading water futures, specifically in California, as a commodity. The country’s first water market launched on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on December 7, 2020, with $1.1 billion in contracts tied to water prices in California, according to Bloomberg News; and
Whereas, the United States is the second biggest consumer of water in the world, with California accounting for 9% of the nation’s daily consumption. The size of California’s water market is four times larger than any other state; and
Greening the CFT
March 19, 2023
Whereas, the day-to-day actions of the CFT do not always align with the rhetoric of the resolutions;
Therefore, be it resolved, that the CFT commit to taking practical actions to make the organization greener and to reduce the environmental footprint created by large gatherings, such as committee meetings and conventions; and
Be it further resolved, that the organization eliminate the use of all single-use plastics at large CFT gatherings; and
Urgent Climate Action
March 19, 2023
Whereas, the climate crisis has already manifested into dangerous, chaotic, and widespread destabilization of natural systems, affecting the lives of billions of people around the world despite global efforts to minimize the risks; and
Free, Publicly Owned Internet to End the Digital Divide
March 19, 2023
Whereas, the internet is the most powerful and pervasive platform in the history of the planet, and now connects nearly half of the world’s population in a globally distributed network; and
CFT Condemns Police Violence and Calls for Reform
March 19, 2023
Whereas, we are outraged and sickened by the relentless acts of violence, brutality, and murder by police; and
Whereas, no one should be murdered at the hands of the officers sworn to protect and serve our communities; and
Whereas, fatal police shootings of unarmed Black people in the U.S. are more than three times as high as of white people; and
CFT Demands Stronger Gun Control for the Safety of All
March 19, 2023
Whereas, the U.S. confronts an epidemic of violence that no other nation experiences, resulting from and exacerbated by weak gun control laws; and
Whereas, the murder of children and teachers in U.S. schools by guns is a daily threat to every parent, child, educator, educational professional, and school community; and
Whereas, individuals armed with guns killed more than 3,000 people in the U.S. just during the month of January 2023 alone; and
Ease the Separation from Service Requirement for Retired Educators and Classified Professionals
March 19, 2023
Whereas, the largest impediment to retired California educational professionals returning to the classroom is the 180-day separation-from-service requirement; and
Whereas, while there is a process in place to allow a district to waive the 180-day rule to allow a recent retiree to return as a substitute teacher or part-time instructor, that waiver process is difficult; and
Whereas, Governor Newsom issued an executive order to ease and streamline the waiver process during the COVID-19 public health emergency; and
Increasing CFT’s Funding Commitment for Organizing
March 19, 2023
Whereas, the ultimate source of a labor union’s power comes from the capacity of its members to engage in collective action, up to and including withholding their labor; and
Whereas, popular support for labor unions in 2023 in the U.S. is at its highest point since 1965, indicating a favorable climate for organizing new labor unions; and
Enhancing Retirement Education and Sick Leave Advocacy for Part-time Faculty
March 19, 2023
Whereas, temporary or part-time community college faculty have historically faced more challenges to a stable retirement and benefits due to inequities in salary as well as re-assignment rights; and
Whereas, California PreK-14 school districts are required to offer the CalSTRS Defined Benefit (DB) pension as an option for all educators, including part-time community college faculty; and
Stop the Privatization of Traditional Medicare – Abolish ACO REACH
March 19, 2023
Whereas, for 57 years Medicare has been by a vital part of the social safety net of this country, providing government paid healthcare for millions of seniors and people with disabilities who might otherwise be reduced to poverty by medical bills; and
Whereas, unlike private insurers, Medicare allows patients to see any doctor they want and is able to keep its administrative costs to a minimum by paying providers directly; and
Classified School Employees Rally at the Capitol 2024
March 19, 2023
Whereas, California Senate Bill 1552 (Campbell, 1986) established Classified School Employee Week in order to recognize the vital contributions of classified employees; and
Whereas, Classified School Employee Week is celebrated in the third full week of May each year from Sunday to Saturday; and
Whereas, classified school employees represent workers from early childhood through higher education in public and private education; and
Advocating for mental health services for all educators
March 19, 2023
Whereas, the new RAND survey reported teachers and classified staff are experiencing job-related stress at a rate about twice that of the general population of working adults; and
Whereas, the recent RAND report found that well-being is especially poor among Latinx teachers, mid-career teachers, and female teachers; and
Whereas, poor mental and health well-being and adverse working conditions were linked with educators’ intentions to leave their jobs; and
Arts Education
March 19, 2023
Whereas, the California Education Code sections 51210 and 51220 provide that California schools must provide a course of study for students in grades 1 through 12 with courses or instruction in visual and performing arts, including dance, music, theater, and visual arts, aimed at the development of aesthetic appreciation and the skills of creative expression; and
Wealth Tax to Fund California Schools and Social Services
March 19, 2023
Whereas, California’s public schools, colleges, and social services have historically been severely underfunded, resulting in inadequate educational opportunities and resources for the state’s students; and
Supporting Health Education Equity in the Implementation
of AB 928 (Berman, 2021)
March 19, 2023
Whereas, AB 928 (Berman, 2021) seeks to streamline transfers for community college students through the creation of one primary transfer pattern, the California General Education Transfer Curriculum (CalGETC); and
Whereas, California community colleges (CCCs) serve a specific and important role in the California Educational Master Plan, serving millions of students throughout California as the most accessible institutions of higher learning; and
School Administrator Communication and Responsibility Regarding Student Behavioral Intervention
March 19, 2023
Whereas, in 2013, the California Legislature passed AB 420, which prohibited pupil willful-defiance suspensions statewide for grades K-3 until July 2018, and furthermore the ban on K-3 suspensions was made permanent in a 2018-19 budget trailer bill; and
Whereas, in 2019, SB 419 extended the existing ban on pupil willful-defiance suspensions to grades 4 and 5 statewide, with the prohibition on such suspensions for grades 6 through 8 sunsetting in June 2025; and
Calling for U.S. Department of Education study of adjunct/contingent pay and benefit inequity
April 29, 2022
Whereas, adjunct/contingent faculty comprise 73% of all higher education faculty (AAUP), which is the majority of U.S. higher education faculty, and a critical and essential force for learning; and
Whereas, adjunct/contingent faculty possess the same teaching credentials and teach alongside tenure-track faculty without the benefits tenure-track faculty are given, including: job security, paid livable wages, access to employer healthcare, and a robust retirement plan; and