Hundreds of delegates at the CFT convention at the Westin San Diego Gaslamp debated and voted on resolutions like “Oppose All Efforts to Privatize Social Security and Support Efforts to Stabilize the System,” “Ending Tax Breaks and Subsidies for Fossil Fuels in California,” and “Increase Public Funding for the University of California.” They attended workshops such as “Education Code Basics,” “Bringing Resources to the Immigrant Community by Empowering our Members,” and “Winning Local School Board Elections.” They also heard from two panels — “Organizing to Win in Sunol Glen,” about the town’s successful recall of two school board trustees who banned the Pride flag at the school, and “How We Fight Back” with AFT leaders from Michigan and Texas. 

Guest speakers were Palm Springs City Councilmember Lisa Middleton, the first openly transgender person elected in the state for a non-judicial position; Marielena Hincapié, an immigration fellow and visiting scholar from Cornell University’s law school; and AFT President Randi Weingarten. 

All the speakers addressed the dire, disorienting, and dangerous situation in the country right now with a president moving swiftly to autocracy, putting out increasingly unhinged executive orders daily, attacking immigrating and LGBTQ+ people, and laying off half of the employees at the U.S. Department of Education in an attempt to destroy public education. They all encouraged fighting back and not giving up, noting the unique position of CFT members at the intersection of labor and education — something CFT President Jeff Freitas also emphasized. 

In her speech, Weingarten encouraged “community over chaos.” This, and the importance of all of us fighting together for justice, was a theme of the convention.

Delegates put on their red shirts to attend Friday afternoon’s Rising Up for Justice Rally, which was lively despite some rain. The array of speakers included people from environmental and reproductive health organizations along with labor and education leaders, underscoring the message that we all need to join together to combat President Trump’s view of the world. 

Another point CFT leaders and speakers brought up was the need for joy. To that end, the conference included performances from the Mariachi Internacional San Diego & Ballet Folklorico Wa-Kushmaa and the Sewa Drummers group, a union social, a dance party, and an awards dinner, where people were celebrated for the all the things they do for workers and for CFT.