Resolutions and Policy

Whereas Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a multilateral non- governmental forum for trade negotiations among 21 member economies in the Asia Pacific Region, including the United States, Mexico, the Philippines and China, which like NAFTA resulted in the outsourcing of millions of jobs and undermining labor and environmental standards globally; and

Whereas, institutional investors, because of the size of their portfolios, can influence the behavior of firms in how they deal with their impact on the environment (E), how they treat their workforce (S), and how the governance structure of the firm (G) affects the decision making of the firm; and 

Whereas, the CFT for several decades has been pushing CalSTRS and CalPERS to incorporate ESG impacts when making their investment decisions; and

Whereas, the day-to-day actions of the CFT do not always align with the rhetoric of the resolutions; 

Therefore, be it resolved, that the CFT commit to taking practical actions to make the organization greener and to reduce the environmental footprint created by large gatherings, such as committee meetings and conventions; and

Be it further resolved, that the organization eliminate the use of all single-use plastics at large CFT gatherings; and

Whereas, the internet is the most powerful and pervasive platform in the history of the planet, and now connects nearly half of the world’s population in a globally distributed network; and

Whereas, the U.S. confronts an epidemic of violence that no other nation experiences, resulting from and exacerbated by weak gun control laws; and

Whereas, the murder of children and teachers in U.S. schools by guns is a daily threat to every parent, child, educator, educational professional, and school community; and

Whereas, individuals armed with guns killed more than 3,000 people in the U.S. just during the month of January 2023 alone; and

Whereas, the largest impediment to retired California educational professionals returning to the classroom is the 180-day separation-from-service requirement; and

Whereas, while there is a process in place to allow a district to waive the 180-day rule to allow a recent retiree to return as a substitute teacher or part-time instructor, that waiver process is difficult; and

Whereas, Governor Newsom issued an executive order to ease and streamline the waiver process during the COVID-19 public health emergency; and

Whereas, temporary or part-time community college faculty have historically faced more challenges to a stable retirement and benefits due to inequities in salary as well as re-assignment rights; and

Whereas, California PreK-14 school districts are required to offer the CalSTRS Defined Benefit (DB) pension as an option for all educators, including part-time community college faculty; and

Whereas, the new RAND survey reported teachers and classified staff are experiencing job-related stress at a rate about twice that of the general population of working adults; and 

Whereas, the recent RAND report found that well-being is especially poor among Latinx teachers, mid-career teachers, and female teachers; and 

Whereas, poor mental and health well-being and adverse working conditions were linked with educators’ intentions to leave their jobs; and

Whereas, California’s public schools, colleges, and social services have historically been severely underfunded, resulting in inadequate educational opportunities and resources for the state’s students; and