Dear faculty,
I hope this newsletter finds you well and the beginning of your semester is moving forward with minimal stress. Your faculty union is busy with the many things that we usually do but with additional zest and zeal as we organize for our upcoming contract campaign – the CCFT three-year contract 2025-28! Flex Week was a success with the three different events attended by numerous members, non-members, and guests. Thank you to all who attended and enjoyed the guest speakers, meals, and local/state/national union updates.
Our February eNews is packed with information, updates, and special requests. Of note is an ongoing request for sick leave donations for our dear faculty, Becky Skinner. Becky continues to recover from surgery however, complications have created a setback delaying her return to Cabrillo. We are also requesting donations for CCEU member Melisande Nortorn, classified employee in the Children’s Center. Both request forms can be found below.
With ongoing gratitude,
Tobin W. Keller, CCFT President
Upcoming Meetings, Events, and Opportunities
Check the Spring 2025 Events Calendar for More on Local Events!
CFT Immigration training for higher education Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 4:00 p.m (Online)
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.
CCFT Associate Faculty Meeting:February 20 From 3:00-4:30 A ptos CTC 1403 and on Zoom
CCFT Council Meeting:February 24 From 2:30-4:30 (Zoom
Faculty Salary Advancement Opportunities
From Dr. Travaris Harris, VP of Instruction:
Dear Faculty Colleagues,
As you are aware, when you are hired, you are placed in a column/class on the salary schedule, as per the CCFT Contract. Opportunities for advancement on the salary schedule include completing approved coursework and alternative credit. If you are considering these opportunities, be sure to carefully review the relevant sections of the contract.
The purpose of this announcement is to provide general guidelines of Salary Advancement opportunities and to give information about deadlines and steps in the application process.
Link for complete announcement and guidelines.
Organizing Update
We are celebrating Black History Month – in solidarity!
Learn more about important Black Union leaders from the NEA website.
Charles White, Untitled (Four Workers), 1940
We’ll be holding our second Council Reps Training on February 26th, 4-7 pm (dinner included) to support Council members. We will review the structure of our union, the duties of a Council Rep, and how we organize for strength.
We’re excited to be planning for the CFT Convention, March 13-16. CCFT delegates to the Convention will have the opportunity to attend workshops and CFT Council meetings and to participate in amending and voting on resolutions that guide policy and legislative priorities for CFT. We will be electing delegates at our next Council meeting.
Executive Board Election Updates
CCFT will be holding elections for new officers. Our goal in holding early elections is to provide training for incoming officers this semester and during the summer.
The offices and candidates are as follows:
- President: Greg Hanle
- Vice President Full-time Faculty: Megan Alisago
- Vice President Associate Faculty: John Govsky
- Treasurer: Lesley Murray, Diana Wilson
- Historian: David Sheftman
Ballots will be sent through ElectionBuddy next week. Please let us know if you do not receive a ballot. And don’t forget to vote!
Negotiations Update
Our sunshine list has been approved by the Board of Trustees. We are beginning our meetings with the District this month. Typically, negotiations continue into June as we wait for the governor’s final budget. We will be calling on members to help us achieve our goals at the table. Please communicate with your division representative if you have specific concerns that you would like to be addressed in this process. You can see the board action item from the February 10th here.
Know Your Contract
Did you know that associate faculty establish reemployment preference after teaching eight semesters (not necessarily consecutive)? Reemployment preference is one of several criteria used to determine assignments. The complete list of criteria are as follows:
(a) Availability
(b) Evaluations
(c) Length of service as defined below in 16.8.1
(d) Reemployment preference as defined in 16.8.2
(e) Continuing comparable assignment
(f) Educational preparation or study, relevancy or recency of related work and teaching
experience, in specific course or assignment.
(g) Maintenance of continuity and quality of educational programs.
For more complete information, read Article 16 of the CCFT Contract. If you have questions, you may contact Claire Thorson, Grievance Officer, clthorso@cabrillo.edu
Leave Donation Requests
Dear Faculty,
In the spirit of giving, we encourage you to consider donating leave to support our colleagues in need. CCFT member Becky Skinner (ACCESS) and CCEU classified employee Melisande Norton (Early Childhood Education) are requesting to Leave Donation hours due to health challenges they are now facing.
CCFT members generously donated over 2000 Hours of their Sick Hours to the CCFT Leave Donation program last year. Any hours that you donate are greatly appreciated and make a real impact on our co-workers and their families’ lives.
For your convenience, the necessary forms are attached:
- Becky Skinner: DL Becky Skinner
- Melisande Norton:DL Melisande Norton
Your generosity can make a meaningful difference. Thank you for your support!
Executive Director’s Report
Hello Everyone,
Welcome 2025, It was great to see many of our members at the CCFT All Faculty Luncheon during Flex Week. I embraced all the positive energy we shared that day. Many of us are still feeling a bit dismayed by the current changes going on in Washington DC. We welcomed the opportunity for CCFT members to share a meal and spend time. Our special guest was Matt Huerta, Economic Director of the Monterey Bay Economic Project. Matt shared with us his insights on the Housing Crisis in Monterey Bay.
In other news… CCFT attended the MLK March held in downtown Santa Cruz on MLK Day. We marched with hundreds of community members and unionists through Pacific Avenue. The program that followed the march at the Civic Auditorium was inspiring and reminded us that the resistance begins now!
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) were in the forefront of leading the fight to repeal the WEP/GPO. We want to thank our members who took the time to send the emails and sign the petitions to help push our efforts across the goal line. This allowed for President Biden to sign the Social Security Fairness Act. In unity there is strength!
The devastating wildfires forever changed the landscape in some parts of Los Angeles County. These fires left a trail of death and destruction in their wake. CFT has members who have been directly affected by this tragedy. If you can, please help our relatives by donating to the CFT Disaster Relief Fund for CFT Members. Any donation is appreciated.
CCFT joined with the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council (MBCLC) and the UCSC Center for Labor and Community (CLC)to reach out to our faculty and students last year to have our students participate in a survey of young workers in Santa Cruz County. CCFT was mentioned along with the CLC in a recent Forbes article about the gap between Union density and opportunities for new organizing citing the survey results.
The Center for Labor and Community has just launched Labor Summer 2025, is a fantastic opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience building worker power with unions across the Monterey Bay Area. There is often a strong demand for Spanish-speaking interns for these positions. Please reach out to us at ccft@ccftcabrillo.org for more information
MBCLC has been involved in fighting the outrageous cost of Healthcare for our members and sibling CFT locals in Monterey County. Monterey County has one of the highest care costs in the State. I am sharing with you the latest news.
The spirit of solidarity is in the air right now. Our siblings from the California Nurses Association (CNA) who are the staff at Dominican Hospital recently held an action to inform the community of the staffing crisis there. CCFT was proud to stand with them. Check out: ‘We’re drowning’: Dominican nurses raise alarms over staffing, patient care
Additionally, our relatives at the Monterey Bay Aquarium are working to organize themselves in a Union. We are excited to support them any way that we can.
Just to keep things in perspective, those who take care of us here in Santa Cruz County, SEIU #2015, recently won a victory for their wages at the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. CCFT was proud to march beside our Union siblings at the recent MLK Parade. Si Se Puede!
2025 will be a year that we will all remember. The winds of change are upon us and I just can’t help but think of the quote I grew up with “..if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem …” I wish all my relatives a great semester and I will see you at a Union rally, march or event soon.
In solidarity!!!
Building our Strength
CCFT is your Faculty Union. We negotiate on your behalf. We advocate for faculty in shared governance. We work with our affiliate unions at the state and national levels to protect public education and workers’ rights.
If you have not yet become a member, please use this online membership form to join us. Your voice and your participation make us stronger.
When you join, you may also contribute to our Committee on Political Education (COPE) to support candidates and campaigns that align with our values. You may update your membership and COPE contribution anytime.
Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram @ccft4400