Join the March 4 Day of Action to Protect Public Education
On Tuesday, March 4, educators, students, parents and community allies will stand up against assaults on public education and on opportunity for America’s youth during a national day of action. Together we are calling on lawmakers to strengthen, not undermine, our local public schools, colleges, and universities, and the services they provide to children, families and communities.
The Trump administration wants to make painful cuts to education and healthcare in order to slash taxes for billionaires. The administration’s plan to “block grant” federal education programs and gut the U.S. Department of Education would rob 26 million students living in poverty of critical services and 7.5 million students with disabilities of special education support.
A cornerstone of the day of action will be our second-annual March in March in Sacramento. Organized by CFT community college local unions along with students and fellow advocates, we will march for dignity and respect for all members of the higher education community. Core demands include secure education funding, comprehensive support services for students, and fair compensation and respect for all campus employees, and more. More details here.
If you can’t make it to Sacramento, please consider taking action in your local community with your local union, using this great toolkit and resources from AFT. Actions can include rallies, flyering in your community, or sharing videos on social media on why the threatened cuts will hurt our students and our communities.
Urge California senators to reject Linda McMahon as US Secretary of Education
Our senators need to know we will not remain silent as the president threatens our schools, tries to eliminate the Department of Education, and attempts to break the law to cut billions of our dollars allocated to California's students and schools. Unfortunately, in her Senate hearing for Education Secretary, Linda McMahon was unwilling to commit to protect students and strengthen public schools, instead agreeing with Trump that the Department of Education should be shut down.
Please sign the CFT letter today, urging Senators Padilla and Schiff to VOTE NO on Linda McMahon. We need a U.S. Secretary of Education who believes in our schools and fights for all of our students. That is not Linda McMahon.
Immigration training for higher education – Feb. 26 at 4:00 p.m
All CFT members are welcome at CFT’s upcoming immigration training for higher education unionists, where presenters will share and explore strategies that can shape, transform, and influence the future of our immigrant students on our campuses. The training will focus on areas related to mental health, barriers and access to higher education, organizing and collective bargaining, legal advocacy, and sharing critical resources. Register here.
CFT member survey on literacy instruction
All CFT members who work in K-12 schools or in early education (including all educators who do reading instruction, in any grade) are encouraged to take the new CFT member survey on literacy instruction. The brief online survey is an opportunity to share your experiences and ideas about how the state can best support literacy education. In California and around the country, policymakers and advocacy groups are considering changes to requirements and guidance about literacy instruction. CFT has opportunities to be a part of these discussions, and the CFT Legislative Department is seeking input from you, the educators and practitioners who are in the classrooms, teaching students to read each day. Take the survey here.
Join UC frontline service and patient care workers on the picket line Feb. 26 & 27
AFSCME Local 3299 frontline service and patient care workers at the University of California will take part in a ULP strike on February 26 and 27 to demand fair treatment, respect, and an end to UC's unfair labor practices. UC has deployed an unlawful campaign of intimidation at a time when UC workers are insisting on contracts that address the deep affordability crisis. And UC workers who dedicate themselves to the well-being of students and patients refuse to be silenced. Join them on the picket line throughout the state, including 11:00 a.m. rallies at the UC medical centers.
