Adjunct Faculty local organizes to defeat flag ban in North Orange County
Photographer: Gaston "Gus" Castellanos (he/him)
Earlier this week, the North Orange county Community College board vetoed a motion that would have banned the pride flag on campus. AdFac leadership mobilized the effort by distributing a petition, reaching out to board members, and organizing other community groups.
Seija Rohkea, President of Adjunct Faculty Local 6106 states, “To know that we were on the verge of being erased on campus was truly a scary moment. But, as we all rose to the occasion to meet that moment collectively, we created a shared sense of hope and a knowing that there are enough of us who will fight to maintain visibility and safety for all communities on all 3 of our NOCCCD campuses; Fullerton College, Cypress College and NOCE.”
In a letter to the board, Jeff Freitas writes, “Banning the Progressive Pride Flag sends a message of oppression and undermines the safe and inclusive environment that you strive to provide for your students, staff, and community. Such an action can be likened to hate speech, perpetuating harm rather than fostering an environment of support and growth.”
Photographer: Gaston "Gus" Castellanos (he/him)
Members collected over 1,500 signatures in opposition of the flag ban.
AFT releases report linking student mental health and social media use
The AFT released a report detailing the effects of unregulated social media platforms on student mental health. School districts across the United States are on the frontlines of a growing youth mental health crisis. The report attributes features like infinite scrolling, autoplay of videos and predatory algorithm designs to declining mental health of students.
AFT’s report is calling on companies to use a set of guiding principles when designing platforms for young people. Some of the key principles include prioritizing safety, protecting student privacy and directly engaging with schools and families.
The U.S. Surgeon General’s recent advisory stated, “Adolescents who spent more than 3 hours per day on social media faced double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes including symptoms of depression and anxiety.”
“Many of those algorithms get them going down a more narrow and narrow path on a particular subject,” said CFT President Jeff Freitas. “That is not helpful or healthy for the students.”
Watch the report from NBC Bay Area here.
CFT at AFT TEACH
A handful of CFT members and leaders attended AFT TEACH ‘23 last weekend in Washington D.C. Some of the workshop topics included bullying prevention, tools for English language learners and AI in the classroom.
CFT members visited Capitol Hill to meet with dozens of senators and congress members to discuss issues being faced by union members such as teacher retention, the need to reduce standardized testing, and wage issues.
Executive Vice President of CFT Juan Ramirez shares his enthusiasm for the work being done by AFT as a whole and the tools learned at the conference.
Randi Weingarten’s keynote address can be watched here.
In solidarity
The Teamsters have reached a tentative agreement with UPS. Congratulations to the Teamsters on this historic contract.
5,000 commercial production workers
win recognition with IATSE. The group consists of entry-level production assistants, line producers, production supervisors and more. “Stand with Production,” is a grassroots organization that grew out of worsening conditions for set workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
