Senator Schumer pledges to bring up Social Security Fairness Act for a vote in the US Senate
During a rainy rally co-sponsored by AFT this Wednesday in Washington, D.C., Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer pledged to bring the Social Security Fairness Act up for a vote in the Senate. The critical bill would repeal the WEP/GPO penalties, which take hard-earned Social Security benefits away from many CFT members who participate in CalSTRS.
Let’s keep the pressure on California’s senators! If you haven’t yet, please sign the CFT WEP/GPO letter and call our senators’ offices urging them to push to get the legislation to a vote and to VOTE YES when it reaches the Senate floor.
Pictured above, AFT 1521 member (and CalSTRS board member) Sharon Hendricks joined fellow AFT members at the rally in D.C.
RSVP now for January 10 workshop on defending immigrant students and families
California has the largest immigrant population in the country. Many of our students and their families are anxious about the threats that the new administration have made, including mass deportation. CFT is dedicated to defending our immigrant students, families, members, and communities.
Please join us for an important “Know-Your-Rights” webinar on January 10 to learn what we can do about this critical issue and how best to inform students and families about their rights. CFT prioritizes making every school in California a safe space for all students including immigrant children. RSVP now for the January 10 webinar, which starts at 4:00 p.m.
Pamela Garcia Photography
CFT Council of Classified Employees conference a success
Over 150 classified CFT members had a blast last weekend at the Council of Classified Employees Conference in Costa Mesa! Check out some quick highlights from all of the workshops and activities and stay tuned for a special edition of the Classified Insider next week. Interested in subscribing to the Classified Insider and other publications? Click here.
CFT Universities Council holds workshop on building diverse and democratic union governance
Last weekend the CFT Universities Council hosted a day-long workshop on building diverse and democratic union governance in the CFT Bay Area office. The training included how to best use diversity, equity, and inclusion practices and the cultural proficiency framework to empower faculty to implement effective strategies within our unions and our workplaces.
According to CFT Universities Council President Mia McIver, the training was an excellent example of productive collaboration between local unions, CFT, and AFT.
"It was exciting to see higher ed leaders from both private and public campuses work together to enact their justice and equity values in their local unions,” says McIver. “We left the training feeling a strong imperative to lift the voices of underrepresented co-workers in order to represent our members, serve our students, and strengthen our power in our workplaces."
Randi Weingarten on how to win workers back
Last week in an address to the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs AFT President Randi Weingarten laid out a challenge to the progressive community: either empower American workers or face the prospect not just of the coming Trump second term, but of subsequent MAGA-esque regimes. Read more here.
