05/02/2022 Survey of CA Community College Part-Time Faculty Shows Dire Need to Reform the Healthcare System!
Part-time faculty in Sacramento today to urge CA Legislature to support Governor Newsom’s proposed $200 million to transform system.
Sacramento, CA — A new survey of part-time California community college faculty shows the stark need to reform healthcare in California community colleges. Published today by CFT and reported by CalMatters, the survey report shows that despite making up nearly 70% of faculty ranks in the community college system, only a fraction of part-time faculty receive health insurance benefits and the consequences are profound for these critical educators and their families. The report adds momentum to Governor Newsom’s inclusion of $200 million in his initial state budget proposal to transform healthcare for part-time community college faculty.
The report shows that only 33% of part-time faculty who responded to the survey receive healthcare from their community college employer, adding another layer of precarity to the already insecure, though essential, jobs that part-time faculty perform. While many faculty are able to patch together healthcare from other sources, it is often inadequate and unreliable.
This lack of reliable, affordable health care has led many part-time faculty to ration the healthcare services they seek due to lack of or insufficient coverage. In the last three years, 63% of survey respondents put off or postponed getting dental care, 43% did not go see a doctor, 30% did not get a test or treatment recommended by a doctor, and 11% cut pills or skipped doses of medicine.
“It is absolutely unacceptable that our hard-working, dedicated part-time faculty are being forced to delay or miss entirely critical healthcare services, putting their health, the health of their families, and the health of our students at risk” says CFT president Jeff Freitas. “It’s time we stop placing the financial burden of our community colleges on the backs of contingent faculty. We urge the California Legislature to stand with part-time faculty and pass a budget that includes Governor Newsom’s proposal for $200 million in annual funding to right this wrong.”
Bernadette Moordigian, a part-time psychology instructor at Fresno City College, who has faced devastating consequences because of inadequate access to healthcare, says that this is about more than just the health of part-time faculty.
“We do this work because we love teaching and helping our students,” says Bernadette. “The students deserve to have all of their professors to be treated equally, so in turn, they will receive the best education.”
Armed with the survey results, over 100 part-time faculty are in Sacramento today, to press their case for the Governor’s proposed $200 million funding with the members of the California Legislature, and to advocate for better pay and job security for part-time or adjunct faculty. The activism is part of a larger movement by part-time faculty across the state and the nation to organize to fight back against exploitation in higher education.
CFT — A Union of Educators and Classified Professionals represents 120,000 teachers, faculty, and school employees in public and private schools and colleges, from early childhood through higher education. It is the statewide affiliate of the AFT, AFL-CIO.
08/08/2022 Tell the State Legislature: Time for quality, affordable healthcare for all part-time faculty
Dear Members,
The CFT’s statewide campaign to win quality, affordable healthcare for part-time faculty is gaining steam, and we need your survey responses!
Successful member action led Governor Newsom to propose $200 million in ongoing funding. Now the fight is on to ensure this funding remains in the state budget, and the health benefit actually gets to the part-time faculty who need it.
At this time we are asking all part-time faculty to please click this link to complete an important Part-time Faculty Survey: cft.org/pt-survey.
This survey will provide critical data that will strengthen our advocacy efforts. It should take approximately 15 minutes and is intended for faculty who are teaching in the 2021-22 academic year on a part-time, contingent basis.
Feel free to contact me with any questions (or reach the CFT Part-Time Faculty Campaign directly at cgolding@cft.org or cft.org/pt-campaign).
Please complete the CFT Part-time Faculty Survey today and join us in our continuing organizing efforts to improve the working lives of part-time faculty.
Thank you!
PS: If you have not yet sent the new (2nd) letter to legislators, you may click to do so at: Tell the state legislature: Time for quality, affordable healthcare for all part-time faculty.
01/11/2022 We did it! Newsom pledges $200 mil for part-time faculty healthcare!
Our campaign is up and running, and it’s clear that our actions have led to early success in Sacramento! Over the holidays, 1,400 people sent letters to Governor Newsom and key legislators demanding funding for part-time faculty healthcare. As a result of your efforts, yesterday the Governor included $200 Million per year in ongoing funding for community college part-time healthcare in his January budget proposal – an increase of over 400x current levels!
This is incredible news, and we couldn’t have done it without you!
While we take a moment to celebrate, let’s also recognize that this fight is just beginning. CFT members and our allies have more work to do over the coming months to keep the heat on. We must ensure that this funding remains in the state budget and to craft a system that actually gets these benefits to you.
Over the coming weeks we will have more opportunities to engage our colleagues and partners on this important issue – ramping up a robust and dynamic statewide campaign network that will mobilize thousands of Californians to achieve our goals.
All educational employees deserve the basic right of healthcare, and we are poised to get there. Our time is now – let’s keep the momentum going and transform healthcare and continue advancing parity in higher education in California.
In Solidarity,
Chase Golding
CFT Part-time Faculty Campaign Coordinator
09/21/2021 Urge Governor Newsom to increase the workload cap for part-time community college faculty now to extend emergency COVID sick leave in CA
Please take a moment to urge Governor Newsom to sign AB 375, which would formally increase the workload cap available to part-time faculty from 67% up to 85% of a full-time faculty workload in California’s community colleges.
Under the current law, too many part-time faculty members are forced to work in multiple community college districts to piece together a full time schedule, hurting not only their ability to make a living, but their ability to participate in the campus community and be a resource to students.
Please take a moment to sign the letter urging Governor Newsom to sign AB 375 today.
In unity,
Jeff M. Freitas
CFT President
09/03/2021 Take action now to extend emergency COVID sick leave in CA
On September 30, California’s emergency COVID sick leave will expire if our elected officials in Sacramento don’t act. Without an extension, many California workers will be in danger of losing their jobs if they are unfortunate enough to get infected with COVID. School workers without sufficient sick leave will also be at risk of losing pay should they become infected with COVID.
With most kids still unvaccinated and schools reopening, parents are already receiving notices of quarantines and classroom closures, potentially requiring families to keep kids home for days or weeks at a time. Without the extension of emergency COVID sick leave, parents are at risk of being terminated or forced to quit their jobs to care for their children.
Allowing the emergency COVID sick leave to expire will directly force both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals to work while sick, jeopardizing the health of themselves, their co-workers, and the public.
Please urge California’s legislative leaders to extend the emergency COVID sick leave. The safety of our families and communities is at stake.
08/11/2021 YC AFT Update On Issues for Part Timers Zoom Meeting
On 08/11/2021 YC AFT met via Zoom to discuss issues related to Part Time Faculty. Here is the Zoom Cloud Recording from that meeting.
05/12/2021 Urging Governor Newsom To Fully Fund Community Colleges in the Upcoming Budget
Dear Community College Colleagues:
This week CFT launched an online campaign urging Governor Newsom and legislators to fully fund community colleges in the upcoming budget. Specifically, they are urging our elected leaders to do the following four things:
- Extend the hold harmless provision in the funding formula. (ASCCC resolution for more information)
- Expand the COLA and eliminate contingencies. (COLA is the basis for increases on salary schedule)
- Eliminate all deferrals. (ASCCC information on the deferral process)
- End the wasteful expense of CalBright. (CalBright is sucking funding from other community colleges)
Please help us get the word out about the campaign, by signing the online letter.
On the CalBright front, there is some excellent news to report. On Thursday the California Assembly voted UNANIMOUSLY in favor of AB 1432 (Low), a CFT-sponsored bill that would eliminate CalBright College.
05/05/2021 AB375
This is your chance to speak out for AB375!
Here is an AB375 (Raising the teaching cap to 80 to 85 percent) support letter from Michael Young, our Lobbyist. (Click to Download Support Letter)
For those of you who don’t know, AB375 was put into suspense (effectively a hold) in appropriations because there were some costs falsely attached to it. They added some false health care costs and the cost of giving every part-timer an 85% load – which this bill does NOT do. CFT is working to have this estimate revised.
On May 21st, it will be determined whether it is to be voted out of suspense or not–we obviously want it out of suspense!
This letter is addressed to Lorean Gonzalez, the Chair of Assembly Appropriations. We need to get as many of these letters signed and sent as possible. In Saturday’s CCC meeting, Michael also encouraged us to reach out to supportive board members and have them send in letters, as this will have added impact.
When you sign the letter you can forward your letter to Micheal Young and he will make sure they are submitted correctly. Michael’s email is myoung@cft.org. Note the date above. The letters need to arrive a couple of days before May 21st.
Good luck on your efforts and to seeing AB375 Move forward!
Click to Download Support Letter
05/03/2021 Upcoming Webinars & Trainings Open to All CFT Members
Tuesday, May 4
4:00pm – 5:30pm
PRESENTER: Stephanie White, Member, Los Angeles College Faculty Guild
This workshop will review the history of homelessness, the impact of homelessness in our schools, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on homelessness.
The Educator Edit: Preparing Your Life for School Reentry
Wednesday, May 5
4:00pm – 5:30pm
PRESENTER: Wendy San Juan, Vice President, Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers
Like in in the show Home Edit, this school year required clearing, reinventing, organizing, purging, and rebuilding. We learned that in order to care for our students we had to care for ourselves first. What adjustments will be needed to return to school?
In this interactive workshop we explore strategies and resources including understanding your brain, hacking your physiology to find balance, making the brain-gut connection for mental health, recreating your home to support you at work, how to streamline our efforts to adapt to the new in-school environment, plus a tool kit of resources. Come learn connections to what you are already doing and new ways to help you make the adjustment back to in-school teaching.
Retirement for Part-time Educators
Friday, May 7
2:00pm – 3:30pm
PRESENTER: Kevin Dunn, CalSTRS
Want to find out more about the CalSTRS benefits and services you have access to as a part-time educator? In this webinar, you’ll compare the two benefit programs that may be available to you and determine which program you’re paying into. You’ll learn about how to increase your retirement income, the importance of supplemental savings, and considerations to keep in mind throughout your career. You’re helping students build their futures, don’t forget about yours.
About our webinars
When you register to attend a Zoom training webinar, you will receive an email confirmation of your registration directly from Zoom. The email will contain the link to join the videoconference from your PC, Mac, iOS or Android device, as well as the phone number if you choose to call in for your audio.
Additional training information can be found at www.cft.org/training
04/07/2021 Assembly Bill Updates
Assembly Bill 1432: The California Federation of Teachers (CFT) is proud to sponsor Assembly Bill 1432 (Low) which eliminates the Calbright College allowing the legislature to redirect those funds as well as any remaining unspent one-time dollars back to the California Community College System. Click to read more...
AB 1432 Sample Support Letter (Word file) click to download
AB 1269 Sample Support Letter (Word file) click to download
02/25/2021-Advancing Equity on Campus & the New Deal for Higher Education:
Wednesday, March 10, 4pm – 5:30pm
PRESENTERS:
Alyssa Picard, Director, AFT Higher Education
Jennifer Shanoski, President, Peralta Federation of Teachers
Rika Yonemura-Fabian, Member, San Mateo Community College Federation of Teachers
Chris Goff, Assistant Director, AFT Higher Education
Our institutions of higher education face multiple crises which have come into sharper contrast during the pandemic. Austerity policies have resulted in chronic underfunding, over-reliance on contingent faculty, unmanageable student debt burdens, and a narrow focus on job training to the exclusion of the public good. The result has been growing inequity in our colleges among faculty and staff, with higher education increasingly out of reach for many students. Much can be done to set higher education back on the right path. Union leaders will share the work their unions are doing to tackle inequality in their colleges. We’ll learn about the recently launched campaign for a New Deal for Higher Education, encompassing a broad platform to address all of these crises. Join us and learn what we can do to advance a just and inclusive system of higher education for all. When you register to attend a Zoom training, you will receive email confirmation of your registration directly from Zoom. The email will contain the link to join the videoconference from your PC, Mac, iOS, or Android device, as well as the phone number if you choose to call in for your audio. You can learn about and register for all CFT training opportunities at www.cft.org/training.
01/05/2021 Ask Dr. Fauci
If there’s a specific question or topic you want to make sure we don’t miss, please submit it here.
09/18/2020 Yes on Prop 15 — Schools and Communities First
We will be phone banking Friday the 25th from 10-12 and Wed the 30th from 3-5. Please sign up using the links below for one of those phone bank times. Feel free to send this information to others to recruit more volunteers. Don’t hesitate to contact Genean (genean.cft@gmail.com) if you have any questions or concerns.
07/24/2020 Betsy DeVos Diverts Federal Funding From Public Schools
It’s no secret that the Trump administration is dangerously failing public school students, teachers, and school staff in their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and in their rush to open in-person instruction in schools.
But perhaps the worst offender is the person who should be a voice for public education: Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. DeVos recently ruled that CARES Act relief funds can be diverted from public schools to wealthy private schools, a move so egregious that the State of California has filed a lawsuit to prevent her from diverting part of the $13 billion CARES Act dollars intended for public education to private schools. Of the total $13 billion in CARES Act funding earmarked for public education, $1.65 billion is intended for California’s schools.
AFT President Randi Weingarten penned an op-ed in the July 23 edition of the New York Daily News, calling out DeVos’s actions. Weingarten says, “What we won’t stand for is needlessly putting ourselves, our students and our communities in harm’s way because our federal government refuses to take the necessary precautions to get the virus under control, and refuses to make the necessary investments to make our schools safe.”
To join AFT in speaking out against DeVos’s unacceptable decision to place the needs of wealthy private schools over those of public school students, you can sign the AFT Petition. Tell Betsy DeVos to stop diverting public funding away from our public schools.
07/09/2020 Schools and Communities First
Get to the know the California ballot measure that will bring in $12 billion of additional funding for our schools and communities.
Tell Congress to pass the HEROES Act! Invest Now to Get America Safely Back to School and Back to Work
06/25/2020 2020-21 Budget Summary Final
To: CFT Executive Council, Local Presidents, Formula Funded and Staff
From: CFT Legislative and Research Departments
Re: Topline Overview of 2020-21 Budget Deal
On Monday, June 22, 2020, the governor and legislature reached a compromise on the 2020-21 budget. Currently, the legislature is debating the main budget bill and a series of budget trailer bills, which provide additional details. The legislature is expected to approve the budget by Friday, June 26, 2020. Once passed, the governor has until the end of June to sign it. The budget will go into effect on July 1, The CFT will provide a full analysis of the budget once the governor signs it. Below is a brief summary of the budget bills we expect will be signed next week. Given the fact that the tax deadline has been postponed until July 15, we expect to see adjustments to the budget that the governor signs… Continue reading here.
Unemployment Information Session
Hello all part timers!!
Thank you to all of you who made it to our first time ever ALL YCCD YCAFT meeting. It was great to see your faces!
All the materials from yesterday are posted there under the COVID19 tab. The results from the faculty safety survey are also there.
If you have been asked to teach F2F this summer and you are not comfortable with the COVID protection measures that the district is planning to make, you have choices.
You are an at-will employee. You can turn back your offered class, even if you have already agreed to teach, with very few consequences.
You cannot be fired for turning down work.
YCCD has no problem canceling your class when THEY want to do so. And they will continue to do so.
If you do not have another job, you can apply for unemployment and get up to $1050 per week. Under the rules for this summer, you can say you have no work because of COVID, if you do not feel the district has provided enough protection for you or your students.
You do not have to have a COVID related reason to get the extra $600 when you file for unemployment this summer.
You will still be on the seniority list next summer. You still have to be offered classes next summer whether you teach this summer or not.
Use our filing for unemployment guide on our website,
If you feel you are putting yourself at risk, sit this summer out.
If you want to teach your F2F, use every precaution you can think of and stay safe.
If you summer class is cancelled file for unemployment right away. $1050 a week is worth the effort. Use the guide on our website.
Stay safe. In solidarity, Elaine Robinson,YCAFT President
Calling All Unit Members!
Hello everyone,
AFT is in the middle of a call campaign to try and contact everyone in the unit. We would like to check in on your transition to distance learning, make sure you have the latest information about what is going on in the district, and collect up-to-date contact information so we can keep in touch.
05/07/2020 We’re here to serve and support union members
The Union Plus Digital Toolkit
Important Resources for Your Members During This Challenging Time
The May Digital Toolkit will provide you with digital resources to share with your members, including Union Plus Hardship Help Benefits, and the real discounts and savings they need will need as we all struggle during this difficult time.
These valuable resources are here for you to share on your union’s website, via email and/or on your social media.
Union Plus Hardship Help
We’re here when you need us.
Participants in our Union Plus Mortgage, Credit Card, Personal Loan, or supplemental insurance programs may be eligible for additional hardship assistance through our Mortgage Assistance Program or other Union Plus hardship assistance programs.
04/20/2020 AFT Training Opportunities
The trainings below are open to all interested members of AFT local unions.
Legal Updates: Parental Leaves for Education Workers
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
4:00pm – 5:30pm
Members frequently ask how to prepare for childbirth or adoption, and which laws and programs provide benefits. Are school employees entitled to the leave and pay provisions of FMLA and CFRA? How do members know if they’re eligible for disability benefits, and under which plans? What are my rights to child-bonding leave? What benefits are common in union contracts, and how do members coordinate all of these benefits with the employer? Join one of our attorneys to find out how it all works and provide the answers your members need.
Unemployment & Underemployment During the COVID-19 Pandemic
(click on time slot below to register)
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Are you losing your job (or losing hours) as a result of the current pandemic? Is someone in your household unemployed or underemployed? In many cases, you may be eligible for benefits you’re not aware of. Unemployment benefits have been significantly expanded as a result of the CARES Act and other recent laws, and we’ll cover important changes members need to know about. This workshop will also demystify the process of applying for unemployment benefits. Learn about requirements of the Employment Development Department (EDD) and the step-by-step process when applying for benefits. This workshop will benefit anyone facing reduced, cancelled, or unscheduled work in the present and near-future, and those whose households include people experiencing loss of work.
Finding Relief from Student Debt
(click on time slot below to register)
Thursday, April 23, 2020
Is student debt still weighing you down in the current crisis? There may be a way to find relief! The recent federal CARES Act provides significant relief from your student burden, at least on a temporary basis. And if you work for a public institution or for a nonprofit, you may already qualify for public service loan forgiveness. Learn what’s changed to relieve the student debt burden during the current pandemic. We’ll also share how to qualify for loan forgiveness, how to make your payments manageable, and how we can work together to address the student debt crisis in California.
When you register to attend a webinar, you will receive email confirmation of your registration directly from Zoom. The email will contain the link to join the videoconference from your PC, Mac, iOS or Android device, as well as the phone number if you choose to call in for your audio. You will also receive a helpful email reminder from Zoom one hour before the webinar begins.
You can learn about and register for all CFT training opportunities at www.cft.org/training.
Additional relevant training opportunities through other organizations are provided on our website at https://www.cft.org/webinars-zooms.
03/22/2020 COVID-19 MOUs
MOU COVID-19 20200321–4 hours paid for moving the first F2F online then 1 hour for each additional class moved.
MOU COVID-19 EVAL 20200322–puts all spring evaluations on hold.
01/10/2020 We have a new CBA (contract)!
Hello all YCCD part time faculty,
The Board of Trustees ratified the CBA (contract) last night at the board meeting.
Last night the union members ratified the CBA (contract) at Union meetings.
We have a new CBA (contract)!
HR is working on the retroactive payments that should be paid within 90 days.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me.
In solidarity,
Elaine Robinson
YCAFT President
About AFT:
American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
The American Federation of Teachers, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, was founded in 1916 and today represents 1.7 million members in more than 3,000 local affiliates nationwide.
Five divisions within the AFT represent the broad spectrum of the AFT’s membership: pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; and nurses and other healthcare professionals. In addition, the AFT represents approximately 80,000 early childhood educators and nearly 250,000 retiree members.
The AFT is governed by its elected officers and by delegates to the union’s biennial convention, which sets union policy. Elected leaders are President Randi Weingarten, Secretary-Treasurer Lorretta Johnson and Executive Vice President Mary Cathryn Ricker, along with a 42-member executive council.
Many well-known Americans have been AFT members, including John Dewey, Albert Einstein, Hubert Humphrey, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Frank McCourt, Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel, former Senate Majority Leader and Ambassador to Japan Mike Mansfield, former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala, and former United Nations Undersecretary and Nobel Peace Prize winner Ralph Bunche.