California Educator

November 2011

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ACTION STATE COUNCIL REGIONAL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCES RAVITCH VISITS CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR'S PENSION PLAN 34 35 36 38 LOOK FOR THE NEW STATE COUNCIL SECTION ONLINE AT WWW.CTA.ORG/STATECOUNCIL. CTA WILL LEAD THE WAY IN INITIATIVE BATTLES AHEAD IN HIS FIRST SPEECH to State Council as CTA president, Dean E. Vogel vowed that CTA will be integral to the process of defeating a deceptive paycheck initiative about to qualify for the November 2012 bal- lot, and in passing a school funding mea- sure that's still in the works. CTA is part of a broad coalition seeking a public funding initiative that supports education and all essential public services. Council members voted to oppose the paycheck scam, called the "Stop Special Interest Money Now Act." By banning all California unions from using payroll- deducted funds for political purposes, the initiative would unfairly silence the politi- cal voices of the middle class, while letting wealthy corporate interests spend as much In other action, State Council: Elected Kendall Vaught to the CTA Board of Directors for District M, and Laura Finco to the CTA/ABC Committee for District C. Affirmed its support for allowing the Legislature to approve the state budget and revenue increases based on major- ity rule, rather than a two-thirds vote. Council approved a motion to have the Political Involvement Committee evalu- ate any legislation or legitimate ballot measures regarding simple-majority vote efforts and to allow local chapters and members to support and encourage legitimate efforts toward this goal. as they want. They are picking this fight here because "California is one of the last union strongholds," Vogel warned. Noting that U.S. corporations already outspend unions by about 15 to 1, Vogel vowed that CTA will work with a strong labor alliance to defeat the paycheck decep- tion scam next year for a third time since 1998. Council also approved spending up to $8 million next year to oppose or support ballot measures. Vogel reminded delegates that whatever school fund- ing initiative is settled on in the next few months, Council policies say it must be based on the union's principles of tax fairness and it must be based on progressive taxation. Also, it should generate at least $8 billion to help heal years of unprecedented cuts. In order to be successful, CTA will be working in a broad coalition. Whatever school funding initiative is settled on in the next few months, Council policies say it must be based on the union's principles of tax fairness and it must be based on progressive taxation. Dean Vogel BASIC UNION RIGHTS CTA Executive Director Carolyn Doggett noted that coordinated attacks on collec- tive bargaining and basic union rights are mounting across the country, and the battle is on "for the very heart and soul of the America we believe in. It's a battle for an organized democracy that values economic opportunity, equality and social justice for every American. And it's a battle for the belief in every child — not just a select few." This year alone, 11 states passed anti- collective-bargaining and dues reduction bills, and educators and public employees 34 California Educator / November 2011 in six states lost full bargaining rights. There are threats to collective bargaining rights in 20 other states. Invoking labor expert Dr. Elaine Bernard, who directs the Har- vard Trade Union Program, Doggett said building community coalitions and show- ing union solidarity are critical as we move ahead. "Our future really is up to all of us, and the best way to predict the future is to create it!" PUBLIC EDUCATION CENTRAL TO REBUILDING OUR COUNTRY On another front, CTA's recent support of the "Occupy Wall Street" movement has everything to do with public education, said Vogel. "Public education is central to rebuilding our country and to shrinking the growing chasm between the haves and the have-nots."

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