SACRAMENTO  — CFT – A Union of Educators and Classified Professionals announced today that the full-time faculty of the Dominican University of California in San Rafael have voted to join the union in an election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board. The votes from the mail election were counted yesterday in San Francisco, California, with 84% of those participating voting in favor of the union.

Founded in 1890, Dominican University of California is an independent institution offering more than 60 majors, minors, and concentrations. In total, there are 103 full-time faculty in the bargaining unit.

Dominican University School of Business professor Dr. Thomas Cavanagh is proud of the effort and thrilled with the results of the union vote. “Helping to unionize the Dominican faculty has been one of the proudest accomplishments of my life,” said Dr. Cavanagh. “I’m continually amazed by the quality of the people who work here, and I’m excited that we will now have a binding process to advocate for our students, ourselves, and our university.”

Dr. Veronica Fruiht, a professor of Psychology at the University, believes this victory is a testament not just to the desire for change in their workplace, but to the open and authentic discussions the faculty had during the organizing process. “I’ve watched my colleagues become leaders and activists, stepping outside of their own comfort zones to try to make work better for our colleagues, and been heartened by the support of our administration, who have been brave enough to really ‘walk the walk’ of the social justice mission they stand for in supporting our organizing efforts,” said Dr. Fruiht.

CFT President Jeff Freitas congratulated the faculty on their union victory and pledged to support them as they negotiate their first contract with the university.

“We are honored to welcome the full-time faculty of the Dominican University of California into the CFT family,” said Freitas. “We are eager to negotiate a contract with the administration that recognizes the contributions the faculty make everyday to the students and the mission of the university.”

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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, AFL-CIO.