Topic: Standing Together
Courage Campaign honors Pechthalt with its United in Courage Award
The Courage Campaign, a CFT community partner, awarded CFT President Josh Pechthalt with the United in Courage Award on April 22 at Sacramento’s Citizen Hotel. The United in Courage Award is given each year to a progressive leader who exemplifies courage and collaboration in the pursuit of a more fair and just society.
Annual conference salutes four classified heroes
From Pasadena to San Francisco, staff make a difference every day
Nothing better illustrates the theme of this fall’s Classified
Conference, “Celebrating Our Role in Quality Education,” than the
staff who go above and beyond the call of duty.
The honorees were nominated by their unions and selected as
Members of the Year because they are positive role models for
workers and students, contribute to the success of the local, and
are committed advocates of high-quality education.
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.
Congrats to Classified Employee of the Year Rena Pheng
The California Community Colleges Board of Governors recently named Long Beach City College custodian Rena Pheng a Classified Employee of the Year. The honor caught Pheng by surprise.
“I’m not crazy about interviews and all this attention,” she said. “I never imagined receiving this award, especially since I do what I do because I love Long Beach City College, our students and staff — not for recognition.”
Celebrate the role of classified staff during Classified School Employee Week!
May 19-25 is our week!
Classified staff keep California schools and colleges working. From making sure the buses are on time and running safely to helping college students obtain financial aid so they can stay in college, the work of classified members makes a difference every day.
Classified work in dozens of job roles ranging from clerical, maintenance and operations, food service, and computer services to classroom aides. Each classified worker helps the workplace run a little better and contributes to the quality of education for our students.
When workers stand together, we can win!
By Velma J. Butler, President, CFT Council of Classified Employees
I spent the day after Thanksgiving with family and friends at Walmart. We weren’t in front of the largest — and richest — retailer in the world for Black Friday sales. We were there to support employees standing up for what every worker wants: dignity and respect on the job.
Walmart’s formula for “success” is no secret. They offer cheap prices by paying suppliers around the world like dirt, paying their 1.4 million employees like dirt, and driving smaller competitors out of business. If other “big box” stores try to play by the same rules, it touches off a race to the bottom that spreads the pain.
What labor lost and won in Wisconsin
By Velma J. Butler, President, CFT Council of Classified Employees
There is no denying or candy-coating it: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was not recalled in the June 5 special election. Progressive voters led by public sector employees fell short of that goal, beaten in large part by a 7-1 flood of anti-union money.
The passage of Proposition 25 will help make California a working state
The members and leaders of CFT see that California’s education system, and our jobs, are placed at grave risk by a faltering economy, chronic late state budgets, and a paralyzed political process. On November 2, the rest of California agreed with us.
Voters passed Proposition 25, changing state budget approval to a majority, ending the tyranny of a two-thirds vote and the partisan groups that benefit from a revenue-starved government.