CFT-sponsored bills pass first house of Legislature, move on to second
Legislative Update
The “house of origin” deadline marks a major hurdle for bills to pass out of their first house of the Legislature and move on to the second. The CFT was able to move its 18 sponsored and co-sponsored bills before the deadline with only a couple of exceptions.
- CFT-Sponsored Bills: The 18 union-sponsored and co-sponsored bills with brief descriptions, bill status, and links to the bill text.
- All Legislation CFT is Monitoring: Find CFT’s position on these 626 bills.
Part-timers and allies lobby legislators for healthcare, pay parity
PHOTO GALLERY
Students and full-time faculty join forces with part-time faculty
From the Bay Area to San Diego, and from the Central Valley to the Mojave Desert, part-time community college faculty, along with full-time faculty and student allies, gathered at Sacramento’s famed Sutter Club on Monday morning, May 1, to go forth and make California legislators aware of the critical need for part-time faculty healthcare and pay parity.
UC-AFT recognized on Assembly Floor
Assemblyman Jose Medina, D-Riverside, Chair of the Higher Education Committee, recognized the University Council-AFT on the Assembly Floor during UC-AFT’s first group lobby day at the State Capitol on April 1.
Leadership Conference promotes activism in difficult times
At the Leadership Conference, California’s top legislative leaders confirmed their stance defending our state’s progressive values and union members learned CFT’s legislative and political priorities for the coming year — all this amidst the national backdrop of a massive movement to reject the most unqualified nominee ever for U.S. Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos.
How we made history at Classified Lobby Day: CFT champions bills for classified
April 20 was a historic day for us. We attended the Assembly Committee on Public Employees, Retirement and Social Security to speak in support of our sponsored death benefit equity bill, and we were there when the bill passed out of committee for the first time.
Raising the death benefit to parity with faculty has fallen short in nearly a dozen previous attempts. The increase contained in AB 1878 would provide survivors of classified staff more money for the funerals of their deceased loves ones by increasing the death benefit for classified employee members of CalPERS.
Members speak out for union priorities in Capitol
Lobby Day focuses on community schools, charter schools, accreditation
On April 21, educators fanned out in the Capitol to talk directly to their legislators about what really happens at school and the need to pass priority bills.
Staff seek equal access to unemployment benefits
Employees struggle to make ends meet when the paycheck stops during school breaks
Linnette Robinson has worked with special needs students at Berkeley High School for four years. Every winter and summer, Robinson, who has worked stints at other elementary and middle schools, tightens her belt and scrapes by during school breaks the best she can. “Most of us won’t see a paycheck from mid-June to the end of September,” she said.
Lobby Day: Members bring local reality to legislators in Sacramento
Union brings back Lobby Day to give CFT greater voice in Capitol
Gathering for CFT Lobby Days, members traveled from Southern California, the Central Valley, and the Bay Area to ask their elected officials in Sacramento to do the right thing for public education.