Statewide Organizing

AFT 1493 reps attend CFT Leadership Conference

AFT 1493 members Rika Yonemura-Fabian and Marianne Kaletzky joined over 140 CFT local leaders and activists at the 2023 CFT Leadership Conference on February 3rd and 4th in Burbank, with Yonemura-Fabian speaking on the conference’s introductory plenary panel. Together with representatives from United Teachers of Los Angeles, the Downey Education Association, and the AFT College Staff Guild of LA, Yonemura-Fabian shared how she incorporates principles of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion into her work as a union leader and educator, and spoke particularly about the work of our local’s Anti-Oppression Committee.

AFT 1493 rep Rika Yonemura-Fabian speaks at opening panel of the CFT Leadership Conference

The annual Leadership Conference provides skills training for emerging union leaders in the fundamentals of organizing (from how to have effective one-on-one conversations to how to create an escalation plan for a contract campaign) while also offering attendees a chance to connect with members around the state and strategize on how to address ongoing challenges in public education. This year’s conference was organized around the theme Unleash your JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion). Workshops that AFT 1493 members attended included Creating and Supporting Programs for Black Students, Asian American Workers Rising, Climate Equity 101, and Supporting and Engaging Parents of LGBTQIA Students. If you’re interested in attending future Leadership Conferences, please let Marianne know by emailing them at kaletzky@aft1493.org.