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. Most are passed at the union’s biennial convention, where delegates debate and decide issues, but the State Council and Executive Council also adopt resolutions.
Our policy handbook aids Federation officers, leaders, and activists in determining CFT’s legislative positions and Convention resolutions, and helps inform the community at large of the Federation’s policies. The current version was adopted by CFT Convention delegates on March 23, 2019.
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.
Previous Resolutions
Resolutions and constitutional amendments passed by previous CFT Conventions are posted here as pdf compilations.
Adopt CFT Policy and Positions Handbook, 2019 Version
March 23, 2019
Whereas, the CFT represents members who work in education from early childhood through the University of California system, in public and private schools, both in and out of the classroom; and
Whereas, 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; and
“CFT: A Union of Educators and Classified Professionals” branding
March 23, 2019
Whereas, the CFT Convention in 2016 passed Resolution 30 “Promote and support Classified School Employee Week” which stated, “that the CFT create a task force to look into a name change for the California Federation of Teachers”; and
Whereas, several meetings were held with members from the various constituency groups to discuss all of the possibilities of a name change; and
Whereas, because of our name, the CFT is known as a teachers’ union; and
Expand retiree participation in Council of Retired Members
March 23, 2019
Whereas retired member activists have had their talents enriched by decades of effective dedicated service and productive labor activism; and
Whereas retired members are often a more readily available, invaluable resource to locals for their institutional memory, their understanding of issues affecting the working conditions of bargaining unit members, their organizational experience and expertise, and their dedication to the interests of working people; 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
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
Vote of no confidence of the community college chancellor
May 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
Limit student assessments not mandated by the state
March 24, 2019
Whereas, the CFT recognizes that student testing, when not misused, is one tool that informs teaching; and
Whereas, the purpose of education is to educate a populace of critical thinkers who can shape a just and equitable society in order to lead good and purpose-filled lives, not solely teaching to a standardized test; and
Whereas, all students should have access to full, rich learning experiences that prepare them for life, citizenship, career and college, and for the resources to make that vision a reality; and
Oppose portfolio schools and privatization
March 24, 2019
Whereas, the drive to privatize public education continues to escalate through a multitude of new maneuvers; and
Whereas, Austin Beutner, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, unveiled a plan to subdivide the school district into 32 networks using a portfolio model, while Oakland and 24 other districts across the country are part of a national network already using a portfolio model to reorganize their schools; and
Require Economic and Environmental Impact Reports before charter schools are approved
March 24, 2019
Whereas, the proliferation of charter schools has caused many public and charter schools to be under- enrolled; and
Whereas, many neighborhoods are saturated with schools; and
Whereas, traffic and safety concerns are often ignored when new charter schools are built; and Whereas, renters and homeowners are being pushed out of neighborhoods they’ve lived in for decades through gentrification; and
Whereas, resources and money should be used to support existing schools;