Union Summer School will be held June 24-June 27, 2025 at the Sheraton Universal Hotel, Universal City. Please register by Friday, May 30th.

The Union Summer School program is geared for emerging and veteran local leaders who want to take their skills to the next level. The week-long event is filled with rigorous workshops, motivated and skilled trainers, and applied learning. There is also the opportunity to share best practices with local leaders from across the state and to find inspiration in one another’s work.

Union Summer School equips local leaders with the powerful skills to organize successful campaigns to build high-quality public education, involve members in union activities, and establish excellent representation and collective bargaining programs.

Registration

Register by Friday, May 30th:

Register Here!

Accommodations

• Residential participants will be housed at the Sheraton Universal Hotel.
• You may choose between a shared double occupancy room ($750) or a single occupancy room ($1000).
• If you prefer a double occupancy (shared room) and would like to share with a specific participant, you will be asked to provide the person’s name. If you do not specify, CFT will assign rooming.

Childcare

• If you believe you will need childcare please email Crystal Drake with the number of children and ages. 

Course Offerings

The CFT is offering five comprehensive courses to strengthen your union-building skills. This unique residential program includes evening group work. Participants are expected to participate for the full duration of the course.

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Crash Course for New Presidents & Leaders

This course is designed for local presidents &/or leaders elected within the last two years, and those wanting a refresher course.  We will cover the basic knowledge you need as an AFT local president, provide participatory training on useful leadership skills, and allow you to share best practices and challenges leader-to-leader. 

Who should attend? Current local union presidents or new leaders who will be seated during 2024. This course is also open to new executive board members and new executive directors.

Topics covered include:

• How AFT, CFT, and your local union function together, what resources are available to help in your work, and what opportunities exist to participate in union governance bodies and events
• The legal requirements of running unions that every officer should know, including the Duty of Fair Representation, and best practices for addressing issues around membership and status changes
• How to make the most of your right to participate in new employee orientations
• How to plan and run effective meetings
• Best practices in communicating with your members and the public
• How to identify, recruit and develop other union leaders
• Networking with other local presidents to share experience and build support

Note:  It is recommended that you bring a laptop or tablet, your local Constitution and Bylaws, and the most recent collective bargaining agreement with you to the course.

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How to use DEI and Cultural Proficiency as an Asset in your Educational Community

This course is based on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) practices and the Cultural Proficiency Framework and will allow you to put the framework into practice at your worksite. Cultural Proficiency is the policies and practices in an organization, or the values and behavior of an individual, that enable the person or institution to engage effectively with people and groups who are different from them.  Cultural Proficiency is an inside out approach that influences how people relate to their colleagues, clients, and community. DEI and Cultural Proficiency is a lens for examining one’s work and one’s relationships in schools and worksites. At the end of the course, you will use the results from the project to prepare a final presentation describing how to apply your work to your organization.

Who should attend? Any members who would like to learn about DEI and cultural proficiency and how to implement the practices at their worksite.

Topics covered include:

• Knowledgeable and competent in cultural competence practices
• Able to recognize differences between people and acknowledge that these differences are valued as an asset in our school communities
• Enhance organizational culture in your team and local
• Recognize unconscious bias and how it affects the way that people perceive and react to others
• Understand the dimensions of diversity that matter most in organizations and why
• Assess stereotypes and prejudices that may influence behavior in work groups and learn methods to improve the psychological safety of all employees
• Able to implement concepts into an actionable project at your worksite

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Building Local Union Power Through Organizing and Member Engagement

Internal organizing is the foundation of a strong union.  With a focus on having high membership and engaged members, the course will cover issue organizing and the work needed to build a powerful local union.  Participants discuss concrete ways to build an effective communication network at the worksite so that members are informed about and involved in union activities. We hope that participants will leave this session ready to inspire and motivate their colleagues to get involved in the union.  *This workshop is open to all but,  it’s also the track for participants receiving the organizing grant.

Topics covered include:  

• Our Ability to Achieve Gains 
• Who Is A Leader 
• Establishing A Communication Network
• One-One Conversations To Involve Members in The Union 
• Welcoming New Employees & Asking Them To Join the Union
• Checklist for a Well Organized Worksite 
• Putting It Into Action

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Winning the Best Contract — Collective Bargaining & Contract Campaigns

Collective bargaining is at the heart of union organizing. When workers act together we have a better chance of achieving gains for our families and our students. This simulation-based course will focus on the basic strategies, best practices, and skills necessary to ensure that your local union is in a good position to negotiate the best contract possible.

Who should attend? New chief negotiators and new bargaining team members, or those with just a few years of experience. Veteran bargaining team members who want to refresh their basic skills and expand member involvement in their union’s effort to win a great contract are also welcome.

Topics covered include:

• Explain the overall role of the union and the purpose of collective bargaining
• Organize members and expand membership in the effort to win a great contract
• Describe the role of worksite leaders in strengthening the union’s effort to win a great contract
• Utilize surveys to generate bargaining proposals and engage your members
• Describe the basic legal rights connected to collective bargaining
• Work effectively as a bargaining team
• Act strategically at the table in different stages of bargaining
• Cost out basic proposals
• Plan a campaign that builds member involvement and community support

Note: A laptop or tablet will be helpful for some work in this course. If you do not have access to one, the course will work in teams and computers will be shared.

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Universal Design for Learning: Everyone Learns Differently 

This workshop is co-sponsored by the EC/TK-12 Division Council. There will be special reduced pricing and candidates will be reviewed before admittance into the workshop. Pre-reading, homework, and site-based application required. This course is a reduced price of $700 for single occupancy; $500 for local commuters’ rate. 

Dates and Times (all PST) 

• Virtual: June 17, 4:00 pm -7:00 pm
• June 24 10:00 am – 12:00 pm; 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm 
• June 25  9:00 am – 12:00 pm; 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm (end of FEPL requirement)
• June 25 2:30 PM – 5:00 PM (Begin UDL)
• June 26, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm 
• June 27, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm 
• TBD – 1 ¼ hour virtual coaching follow-up in early fall with assigned course facilitator Description 

FEPL Description* 

A grave misconception about conducting professional development sessions is the belief that knowing the content is all that matters. Knowing the content is essential, but the success of any training hinges on its delivery. The AFT’s course Facilitating Equity-Based Professional Learning (FEPL) is structured to facilitate the knowledge and skills of anyone who would like to support adult learners, increase member engagement in their local union, and build collaborative structures to support professional learning within their local community.  *Facilitating equity-based professional learning is a mandatory prerequisite for all AFT Train-the-Trainer Professional Learning Courses.

In FEPL, participants will learn the following: 

• The historical context of the AFT Professional Learning and Member Engagement Program.
• What an effective facilitator should know and be able to do. 
• Equity-based strategies for working with adult learners. 
• Tools to support a successful local professional development program. 

UDL Description

Harness the power of inclusive teaching in this dynamic, interactive course designed to help educators reach and support every learner. Through the lens of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)—grounded in insights from cognitive neuroscience—participants will explore how learner variability can be viewed as a strength, not a challenge, and as the foundation for understanding and addressing individual learning needs. Educators will learn to identify and reduce barriers within the learning environment, instructional methods, materials, and assessments, and to design student-centered lessons that are not only accessible but also engaging and empowering for all. Whether you’re new to UDL or looking to deepen your practice, this course will equip you with the tools and mindset needed to design for equity, flexibility, and success. 

In UDL Train-the-Trainers, participants will be able to: 

• Use learner variability as a way to understand and address individual students’ learning needs; 
• Apply principles of Universal Design to reduce barriers for students in the school environment, assessments, methods, and materials; and, 
• Create student-centered lesson plans and learning experiences using the Universal Design Framework and Guidelines. 
• Graduate Credit – Available through Trinity College in DC.

If you have any questions regarding this workshop please reach out to Steve McDougall.

Fee Payment

• The registration fee is $750 for a double occupancy room and $1000 for a single occupancy room. The fee covers lodging, meals, tuition, and course materials. Participants or local unions are responsible for transportation costs.
• There is also a commuter rate of $500 that includes the cost of meals, tuition, and course materials. The commuter rate is only for individuals living in or around Universal City.
• Fee for Universal Design for Learning: Everyone Learns Differently workshop is $700 for single occupancy.
• You or your local will be required to pay the registration fee. Local unions may pay for multiple attendees at once.
• Check payments can be mailed here:
  CFT
  2775 N Ventura Rd, Suite 204
  Oxnard, CA 93036
  Attn: Crystal Drake
• Online payment: Please click here to pay your fees online.
• Cancellation policy: Refund requests received after May 31 will not be granted.
• Deadline: The deadline to pay registration fees is May 24.

Getting There

If you are arriving by car

• Set your driving directions to 333 Universal Hollywood Dr, Universal City, CA 91608.
• Parking information coming soon.

If you are arriving by plane

• Burbank Airport (BUR) is about 6 miles away.  
• Los Angeles Airport (LAX) is about 27 miles away.

Program

Social media

• Follow us and tag us at @CFTunion on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
• Use the hashtags #cftsummerschool #IamCFT #CFTleaders

Schedule At-A-Glance

Tuesday, June 24

10 am  Registration opens
12:00 pm  Lunch 
1 pm  Opening Session
2 pm  Classes begin
6 pm  Dinner 

Wednesday, June 25

9 am  Class
12 pm  Lunch 
1 pm  Class
6 pm  Dinner 

Thursday, June 26

9 am  Class
12 pm  Lunch 
1 pm  Class
6:00 pm  Dinner

Friday, June 28

9 am  Class
12 pm  Program concludes
12 pm Lunch

Scholarships

2025 Scholarship Application

• If you have any questions, please email Crystal Drake or phone the CFT Ventura County office at 805-485-5861.
• Scholarships cover lodging (double occupancy), meals, and tuition, but do not include the cost of transportation. You can pay the difference of $250 for a single occupancy room.