Candidate Forum > A message from CFT President Jeff Freitas > Data Breach Actions
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Senate candidates show strong support for public education at CFT forum
At the CFT Senate Candidate Forum on October 14, over 300 CFT members in person and online got to hear directly from the leading candidates on their records on and support for public education.
The event was part of the CFT State Council, held in San Jose with the candidates – Barbara Lee, Katie Porter, and Adam Schiff – all appearing online.
The CFT Executive Council will decide whether to make an endorsement in the race at their upcoming meeting in November. Read the article in full here.
Upfront: Transforming our education system into one that empowers educators and students
Written by: Jeffery M. Freitas, CFT President
"In every conversation, one resounding truth echoes: the passion for teaching, the genuine love for nurturing young minds, is what drives each and every educator. The profound impact we have on our students' lives is immeasurable, and it is this unwavering dedication that propels us forward. As we move ahead, it is imperative that we stand united, ready to advocate for the changes our education workers desperately need. We must engage with policymakers, share our stories, and press for tangible solutions.
Together, we can create a future where we are supported, where the barriers to excellence are dismantled, and where our students receive the education they deserve."
A stroke of luck shines light on the struggle for part-time healthcare
Trevor Krapf, President of the Yuba College Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 4952, representing part-time faculty, teaches 5 to 9 classes of political science a semester at various community colleges. This is more than a full-time load but hasn’t been enough for him to be eligible for health benefits at any one district.
Krapf opted to pay out of pocket for his insurance through Covered California. Then his credit card expired. With his busy schedule he forgot to update his payment information in time and lost his benefits.
He planned to wait until open enrollment, but a few weeks after his insurance expired, he got West Nile virus from a bite from an infected mosquito. Krapf had flu-like symptoms, a rash and a high fever and ended up in the emergency room. When the bill came, it was $30,000 — a sum Krapf couldn’t afford on his salary. He wrote a letter to the hospital’s charity organization asking for the debt to be forgiven, and it was.
CalSTRS and CalPERS Data Breach: Impacts and Actions
A third-party vendor for both systems, PBI Research Services, suffered a data breach that impacted around 769,000 CalPERS retirees and about 415,000 of those in CalSTRS. Monthly benefits haven’t been affected.
The agencies are offering free credit monitoring for those impacted. People have until October 31 to sign up. Douglass Orr, a former economics professor at City College of San Francisco and a member of the AFT Local 2121 Retiree Chapter, thinks people affected should sign up for the free credit monitoring service being offered.
A unique salary formula ensures higher wages in Salinas Valley
Steve McDougall, President of the EC/TK-12 Council who was President of AFT Local 1020 when they first enforced the salary formula language that was negotiated during the Great Recession, calls it the “gold standard,” saying it has completely changed bargaining.
Kati Bassler, President of Salinas Valley Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 1020 says, “Our district this year was able to attract seven social workers from surrounding districts.”
El Camino wins big and refocuses on transparency for all
Juli Wolfgram, a part time art history teacher at El Camino College and a member of AFT Local 1388, says her working conditions have improved significantly in the past year. She thinks this is due to the union’s executive board as well as the new negotiating team.
With new board members who are more supportive, Kelsey Iino, President of the El Camino College Federation of Teachers, says they have gotten more wins in negotiations, including across the board 9% retroactive pay for last year, part-time faculty getting up to $3,300 in reimbursement for healthcare rather than the $75 dollars that was offered before, and part-time faculty going from getting two office hours a semester to two hours a week.
Classified members take their fight to the Capitol
Teanna Tillery, the United Educators of San Francisco Vice President for Paraeduators, has been involved with the union in different capacities for about twenty years. She joined, she says, because of the disparity in the way classified members were treated in negotiations.
Many of California’s classified school employees work part-time, often earning less than $30,000 per year in a state with a high cost of living.
Universities Council President Mia McIver sets the tone for the newly named council
Written by: Mia McIver, President of the CFT's Universities Council
We want our Division Council to lead the way in tackling the urgent challenges that academic workers face. The headwinds are strong: tuition hikes, shrinking enrollments, crushing student debt, jobs under threat from artificial intelligence, the multiplication of non-faculty executive administrators in lieu of direct investment in teaching and research, and the overall financialization of American higher education such that colleges and universities today are less in the business of education than they are in the business of capital accumulation.
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CFT – A Union of Educators and Classified Professionals
Jeffery M. Freitas, President
L. Lacy Barnes, Secretary Treasurer
Juan Ramirez, Executive Vice President
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CFT United, Fall 2023
The union's magazine CFT United was formerly known as California Teacher
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Written by: Jeffery M. Freitas, CFT President
A third-party vendor for both systems, PBI Research Services, suffered a data breach that impacted around 769,000 CalPERS retirees and about 415,000 of those in CalSTRS. Monthly benefits haven’t been affected.
Steve McDougall, President of the EC/TK-12 Council who was President of AFT Local 1020 when they first enforced the salary formula language that was negotiated during the Great Recession, calls it the “gold standard,” saying it has completely changed bargaining.
Teanna Tillery, the United Educators of San Francisco Vice President for Paraeduators, has been involved with the union in different capacities for about twenty years. She joined, she says, because of the disparity in the way classified members were treated in negotiations.
We want our Division Council to lead the way in tackling the urgent challenges that academic workers face. The headwinds are strong: tuition hikes, shrinking enrollments, crushing student debt, jobs under threat from artificial intelligence, the multiplication of non-faculty executive administrators in lieu of direct investment in teaching and research, and the overall financialization of American higher education such that colleges and universities today are less in the business of education than they are in the business of capital accumulation.
