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Roots of Unity |
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PROUD TO BE A UNION MEMBER
I
am very proud to be a member of the California Federation of Teachers
(CFT) and president of Local 2276. Why, you may ask? There are many
reasons, ranging from a decentralized structure and local autonomy to a
democratic leadership, but for now it’s because our union and our local
has stepped up to support Proposition 92, the Community College
Initiative. And when Proposition 92 passes on Feb. 5, 2008, over 100,000
more students will have access to higher education, and California’s
community colleges will have the necessary funding to educate the next
generation. Our union and our local realize that the future of the
community college system depends on the passage of Proposition 92.
The CFT
has launched a massive fundraising, media, voter education and
registration campaign. To date, the campaign has raised $1.5 million and
has received pledges up to $3 million. In the next several months,
several million more must be raised to run a successful media campaign
and win the election. Major contributions have already been made by the
AFT, CFT, FACC, and many CFT locals throughout the state, including our
own (more on this later in the article).
The media
campaign is picking up steam. Media events have already been organized
at San Joaquin Delta College, Santa Barbara College, Diablo Valley
College, College of the Desert, Merced Community College, and Cabrillo
Community College, to name a few. Many more are planned in the coming
months. This grassroots effort has received wide attention from local
newspapers, radio programs, and TV stations. Overall, the media coverage
has been quite positive, in part because students, faculty,
administration, classified employees, trustees, and key members of the
community have come together to put forward a consistent message,
focusing on student access and financial stability without raising taxes
for 72 community college districts in the state of California.
The
education campaign, centered around an action plan, is gaining momentum
as well. Campus activities are being facilitated by three full-time
organizers, including Christine Chavez, granddaughter of Caesar Chavez
and the Southern California organizer. A reformatted website is up and
running (www.Prop92yes.com), receiving many hits. Campaign-produced
flyers are now available by the thousands at the CFT Burbank office. In
addition, 100,000 postcards, 10,000 new voter registration or Permanent
Absentee Voter Applications, GOTV calls, and Phone Banking “parties” are
now ready to go.
Our local
has done a tremendous job fundraising and campaigning for Proposition
92. In fact, what we have been doing at GCC has become a model,
statewide, for other community colleges. Our Proposition 92 Campaign
Coordinating Committee, chaired by Ramona Barrio-Sotillo, has been
meeting regularly for several months. The Guild, Senate, CSEA, ASGCC,
and administration are all represented on the committee and, as a
result, have put together an inclusive and comprehensive campaign.
The
statewide campaign has targeted fundraising goals for each of the 72
community college districts, and ours is $35,000. As of the publication
of this issue of the
Chaparral, we are fast approaching meeting our goal and are in
the top five of all community college districts in the state. The
Guild’s Professors for Quality Education (PQE) has contributed $15,000,
individual Guild members over $7,000, the ASGCC $5,000, the
administration over $2,000, the Board of Trustees almost $2,500, and the
CSEA close to $2,000. The Campaign Coordinating Committee is talking
with the Foundation and Classified Council for additional contributions
as well. If I have left any group off the list I apologize. My point is,
however, that there is wide support at GCC for Proposition 92. I am
hopeful we can reach our goal by Nov. 15, since this is when the
statewide campaign must purchase media spots. In addition, after Nov. 15
we run up against Thanksgiving, final exams, the winter holidays, and
the short session during winter, all of which make campaigning
difficult.
In terms
of education and registration at GCC, the ASGCC is planning a rally
sometime in November, and voter registration tables are already in
place. The CSEA is organizing a fundraising event with guest speakers.
There has already been an article in the Glendale
News Press and we have already appeared on local TV. Radio
interviews are already in the works. One of the things still to be done
is local outreach to community groups—local unions, neighborhood
associations, local politicians and the like. I am confident these
things will happen soon.
Our local
has gotten behind the Proposition 92 campaign sooner and more
effectively than most. We
must congratulate ourselves for doing this. I think we realized early on
how important Proposition 92’s passage is to students and to the
financial stability of the community college system in the state of
California. We also understood that the campaign itself needed to be
grassroots, democratic, and inclusive of all the various constituencies
at GCC. I am proud we understood Proposition 92’s importance and even
prouder we understood how to put together an effort to get it passed.
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