Sacramento, CA — Today, CFT: A Union of Educators and Classified Professionals announced positions on two November 2024 ballot measures. 

The education union’s Executive Council voted to OPPOSE the California Business Roundtable (CBRT) measure misleadingly called the “Taxpayer Protection and Corporate Accountability Act.” The initiative was cooked up by representatives of the state’s biggest corporations like oil and gas companies and multi-billion dollar property developers and landlords looking to increase their profits.  

“California’s teachers, faculty, and school employees say VOTE NO on the 2024 California Business Roundtable measure because its corporate math adds up to disaster for California’s students and the communities where they live,” said CFT President Jeff Freitas. “At a time when dedicated educators are already struggling to stay in low-paying jobs, this dangerous ballot measure would further reduce the amount of money available to fund our schools and make it impossible for the state to fully fund education in the future. Defeating this deceptive measure and protecting our students’ education will be the top priority for CFT’s 120,000 members in 2024.” 

Freitas pointed out that the CBRT initiative amounts to an attack on voters’ rights, stripping from the majority of voters the ability to fund critically needed priorities – from public schools and public safety to services for homeless residents. On the other hand, ACA 13 would retain and protect the majority vote, require any initiative that increases voter approval requirements to also be approved at the higher level, and would ensure local governments can always ask voters for their opinion on issues.

“Voting YES on ACA 13 is critical to keep anti-democratic forces from enshrining the right of a privileged and powerful minority to veto the will of the people,” Freitas added. “Put simply, ACA 13 will require that any ballot initiative proposal to change voting requirements pass by those same requirements. Other anti-democratic interests are sure to follow in the footsteps of the CBRT, aiming to pass higher voter thresholds to take away our freedoms – from access to abortion to rights for the LGBTQ+ community. Passing ACA 13’s voter protection initiative protects the democratic principle of ‘one person, one vote.’”

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CFT – A Union of Educators and Classified Professionals represents 120,000 teachers, faculty, and school employees in public and private schools and colleges, from early childhood through higher education. It is the statewide affiliate of the AFT.