Newsroom
State of the Union Speech 2018
Delivered by President Joshua Pechthalt on March 24, 2018
This past year has been at times demoralizing, frightening, offensive and challenging. Yet through it all shines a ray of hope that something may be changing. In spite of all the administration’s bombastic rhetoric, or because of it, there seems to be broad opposition to Trump’s policies and growing clamor for something different.
Legislators of the Year: Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher and Connie Leyva
Community College Council President Jim Mahler first met Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego) when she worked in Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante’s office. She supported labor then, and she supports it now, he said, advocating for International Workers’ Day and passing paid sick leave for all workers.
Ben Rust Award: Dennis Kelly, United Educators of San Francisco
Convention 2018
United Educators of San Francisco Executive Vice President Susan Solomon started her speech at the Ben Rust Award luncheon by talking about some of the things that were happening 50 years ago – the Vietnam War dragging on and Martin Luther King getting assassinated while supporting striking garbage workers.
West Virginia teacher shares national movement with delegates
Convention 2018
At the EC/TK-12 Council meeting on Friday night, President Rico Tamayo thanked West Virginia teacher Angela Johnson for staying up late to Skype with the council about the successful strike she was part of in her state. She brushed it off.
Convention delegates join student-led protest in Orange County
March for Our Lives
Through speeches, chants and signs, the crowd of thousands at the March for Our Lives in Santa Ana made it clear what they wanted: common-sense gun control.
At the rally organized in response to the shootings that killed 17 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, students, teachers, and community members, along with Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, spoke to the crowd, talking about people they loved who had been shot, how they didn’t want to be afraid to go to school, and how the United States has more than 90 gun murders a day.
Erwin Chemerinsky: Constitutional scholar brings delegates to their feet
Convention 2018
If you get a case on the Supreme Court, make your brief a shameless attempt to pander to Justice Anthony Kennedy, said UC Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, keynote speaker at the CFT Convention. Why? Because Kennedy has been in the majority 97 percent of cases this year, and 98 percent the year before.
Floor debate: Delegates take decisive action
Pass resolutions on part-time faculty workload, McTeacher Nights, pesticide use, charter teacher retirement
About 400 delegates discussed resolutions on a broad range of policy issues; heard from the law school dean at UC Berkeley, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Tony Thurmond, the CFT-endorsed candidate for superintendent of public instruction; joined thousands to rally and march for safer schools and common sense gun control; learned a whole lot about Janus v. AFSCME, a Supreme Court case that could effectively turn the public sector into a “right to work” zone; and heard from a teacher in West Virginia where they succeeded in getting a 5 percent raise for all public employees.
Classroom veteran looks forward to being a teacher
FIRST PERSON | By Laura L. Manriquez, Carpinteria Association of the United School Employees
I recently became aware of an opportunity to obtain financial assistance in earning a teaching credential through the California Classified School Employee Teacher Credentialing Program, which is intended to attract classified staff who are interested in becoming teachers.
Q&A: Get to know Tony Thurmond
Meet the CFT-endorsed candidate for state superintendent of public instruction
In a race important to all educators, the CFT has endorsed Assemblymember Tony Thurmond for state Superintendent of Public Instruction. CFT President Josh Pechthalt said Thurmond, a former social worker, has demonstrated “time and again he is a champion of public education. His policy positions solidly align him with the needs of students, parents and educators.”
California Teacher asked Thurmond about his positions on education issues ranging from early childhood to higher education.
We must protect children, not the merchants of death
By Joshua Pechthalt, CFT President
Another week, another mass shooting, more condolences from elected officials…and nothing gets done. As of this writing, we have had 19 shootings of some sort on campus this year, and we are likely to have another before this article gets published.
Teacher Leader program empowers educator voice
Motivated participants confidently take new skills to Sacramento
Connie Nam used to grumble about union dues, until as a participant in the local’s Teacher Leaders program, the veteran fifth and sixth grade teacher learned about her union’s legislative advocacy role. Now, amidst the war on public education, she says, “It’s worth it. Nothing comes for free.”
Largest-ever California wildfire tears lives apart
Colleagues, students and the union lend support to members in need
Although Laura Carrasco and her husband were at home in Oxnard on Monday, December 4, they didn’t smell the smoke because of the 60-mile-an-hour winds. Around 10:30 pm, they looked outside, saw flames, and a few minutes later, firefighters went up the street with bullhorns, telling people to evacuate.
It was the beginning of the Thomas fire, the largest recorded fire in California history, which burned 273,400 acres in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, destroying about 1,000 structures.