The CFT is the California affiliate of the AFT, AFL-CIO representing education workers in public and private schools and colleges, from early childhood through higher education.
Field representatives for the CFT perform a wide range of tasks covering organizing, negotiating, and training in both public and private sector arenas related to education. A field representative’s responsibilities may include work with certificated and classified employees ranging from preschool through post-graduate. Field representatives are assigned to AFT/CFT locals in specific geographic areas.
Qualifications and experience
- Public and private sector employee collective bargaining experience: organizing, contract development and negotiations, education agency budget analysis, grievance administration and arbitration procedures, working knowledge of public employee collective bargaining laws and national labor relations law and practice, membership recruitment, representational petition campaigns and elections and training.
- Broad understanding of the critical issues and problems facing education and workers in California and the nation.
- Experience and knowledge with organizing campaigns.
- Must be able to travel in a broad urban and rural geographic area.
- Current California driver’s license
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Designing and running organizing campaigns and collective bargaining elections, including the filing of campaign petitions
- Representing the CFT before the Public Employment Relations Board and the National Labor Relations Board
- Designing and running internal membership drives and agency fee campaigns
- Designing basic flyers and writing basic campaign literature
- Designing and conducting contract surveys
- Writing contract language
- Negotiating collective bargaining contracts using traditional and non-traditional formats and models
- Analyzing budgets (with some assistance from the CFT Research Department
- Filing grievances and unfair labor practice charges, representing members at hearings, with assistance from legal counsel, as necessary
- Organizing and maintaining area councils and/or regional training programs for locals in the field representative’s assignment
- Assisting in get-out-the vote and related political activities
- Assisting locals in compliance with national and state affiliate constitutional obligations
- Trouble shooting, brainstorming and assisting locals in their day-to-day activities
- Advising locals on grievances, arbitrations, negotiations, budgets and concerted activities
- Conducting training sessions for locals and members
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Knowledge of public and private sector labor law
- Knowledge of collective bargaining laws (NLRB, EERA, HEERA)
- Knowledge of California education law
- Knowledge of CFT’s positions on education issues
- Knowledge of school finance
- Knowledge of AFL-CIO labor relations
- Knowledge of AFT/CFT special services and benefits
- Knowledge of CFT’s candidate endorsements
- Ability to work rapidly and accurately during rush periods
- Ability to strategize, organize, plan activities, and set priorities
- Ability to take charge and to direct, develop and coordinate activities
- Ability to secure relevant information and solve problems
- Ability to make decisions, render judgments and take appropriate action
- Ability to work with others
- Ability to work independently with a minimum of supervision
- Ability to research work-related questions in appropriate sources
- Ability to strategize and plan a collective bargaining campaign
- Ability to negotiate collective bargaining agreements from initial surveys through completion
- Ability to analyze budgets
- Ability to accurately and coherently compose correspondence, charges, grievances, arbitration briefs, basic campaign literature, flyers, and bargaining language
- Ability to make public presentations to audiences in a range of venues
- Ability to design and present training sessions
- Ability to represent employees in grievances and arbitration hearings
- Ability to set up and run phone banks
Membership in the CFT Field Representatives Union is required. CFT requires proof of vaccination as a condition of employment.
$89,622 to $125,237 (Steps 1 – V on step schedule), depending on qualifications and experience, plus benefit package including health, dental, vision, and retirement program.
Submit letter of application, resume, references and at least three written samples by:
Email to Human Resources at [email protected].
If you have any questions, please email Sarah Callahan, Executive Director, or phone 510-523-5238.
The CFT is an equal opportunity affirmative action employer