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UCLA Chapter

Welcome Bruins! The UCLA chapter of UC-AFT represents over 1,200 lecturers, librarians, archivists, supervisors of teacher education, and K-12 instructors at the Geffen Academy and the UCLA Lab School. We also represent instructors at UCLA’s professional schools, including the School of Nursing, School of Dentistry, and the School of Law.

Your Chapter Governance

We are a member-driven chapter, working to support one another to better understand our rights at work. Our union has negotiated specific policies for our various constituencies, including our K-12 members at the Lab School and Geffen Academy (learn more below). Our 10-member Executive Board meets monthly, as do our Organizing Committees for Lecturers and Librarians. We’d love to see you at our next quarterly membership meeting!

AY 24-25 Officers:
Unit 18 Co-Chair: Loretta Gaffney
Unit 17 Co-Chair: Maggie Tarmey
Vice Chair: Cody Trojan
Secretary: Darlene Lee
Non-Represented Unit Delegate: Caroline Luce
Unit 17 Member Delegate: vacant
Unit 18 Member Delegate: Rahul Neuman
Member-At-Large: Anne Blacksotck-Bernstein
Member-At-Large: Chris Wilson
Member-At-Large: Virginia Espino
Statewide Council Representative: Alison Lipman
Statewide Council Representative: Caroline Luce
Statewide Council Representative: Chris Wilson
Statewide Council Representative: Daniel McKeown

Side Letters and Campus-Level Policies

https://apo.ucla.edu/policies-forms/union-contracts/unit-18-workloads/workload-policies-by-department

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-AHDksGH6pEeExMOTh1MF9OMWs/view?usp=sharing

Get In Touch

Related Links

Teaching faculty at both of UCLA’s K-12 school are represented by their own campus Executive Boards and campus-specific side letters that outline additional rights and protections suited to their particular working conditions.

UCLA Lab School has an elected Executive Committee (Ex Comm) usually composed of 4 Demonstration Teachers. The Executive Committee helps members understand their rights, understand our side letter (contract), and can attend meetings with members when necessary. Ex Comm also convenes regular union meetings and facilitates creation of agendas for those meetings.

2024-2025 AY Executive Committee Members: Sylvia Gentile (sgentile@labschool.ucla.edu,), Judith Kantor (jkantor@labschool.ucla.edu) , and Nancy Villalta (nvillalta@labschool.ucla.edu).

 

UCLA Geffen Academy has a 3-person Executive Committee elected by all members of the Chapter. Additionally, members of each department elects a Department Steward to represent individual departments. Executive Committee members and Department stewards serve 2-year terms. In advance of bargaining negotiations, members elect 3 Bargaining Delegates to serve as the Bargaining Team. Read our bylaws here.

Because our Chapter is small and the needs of our members are so varied, we encourage all members to participate in our union however they can. In the past, members have joined forces to plan Chapter get-togethers, organize petitions, and support the efforts of our Bargaining Team.

If you are a new member, we encourage you to review some of the key articles in our Geffen Academy Educators Memorandum, including Article 7.a (“Pre-Six Appointments”), Article 12 (Leaves), Article 21 (Compensation), Article 22 (Merit Increases), Article 24 (Instructional Workload), Article 31 (Performance Evaluations), and the Appendices A (GA Educators Salary Range) and B (Geffen Academy Evaluation Form).  

A group portrait of ten people, some in blue union teachers, in a backyard.

Demonstration teachers at the UCLA Lab School, many wearing blue UC_AFT t-shirts, post for a picture during their strike in 2023. Most are holding home made signs, which read "Teachers support students - please support us!", "Together we can make the UCLA Lab School better", "Teaching conditions are learning conditions", Teachers love the Lab School!", and "Teachers advocating for excellent teaching and learning conditions". They are joined by parents and supporters raising their fist and cheering.

Demonstration teachers at the UCLA Lab School during their strike in 2023.

Members participate in a car caravan action at UCLA in 2020. On the left, a members of UC-AFT, in a union t-shirt and CFT mask, speaks on a microphone and on the right, a member in a union t-shirt and CFT mask raises her fist through the window of her car. The sign on the car's exterior reads "UC-AFT Faculty Demand Job Security"

Car Caravan at UCLA, 2020.

Lecturers and their students and supporters gather at the top of Janss Steps at UCLA in 2021. Many hold signs reading "End Unpaid Work Now!". Others carry a large banner reading "The UC Works Because We Do" with hundreds of members signatures.

UCLA, 2021.

Members of the Unit 18 bargaining team are seated at a long desk with laptops open. Behind them, members in blue union t-shirts, some sitting, some standing, observe. On the left, one member, standing, addresses the university's negotiators (not pictured).

Unit 18 bargaining at UCLA, 2019.

Demonstration teachers marching outside Royce Hall carrying picket signs during the Lab School Strike at UCLA in 2022. Their signs read "UC-AFT on Strike." "Enough is Enough" "For Labor Solidarity with the UC-AFT Strike! ATU 1277 Member" and "Refusal to Bargain is Bad Faith"

Lab School Strike, UCLA, 2022. Photo from the LA Times.

A group of librarians and supporters standing on the steps of Powell Library at UCLA in 2018. Each holds a sign with a single letter, spelling out "Librarians Will Not Be Silent." On the left, two members carry a yellow and blue banner that reads "University Council - American Federation of Teachers, local 1990 UCLA".

UCLA, 2018.

Members of the Unit 18 Bargaining team gather outside Charles Young Library during a bargaining session in 2019. They raise fists and stand near a table with UC-AFT banners.

Unit 18 Bargaining, UCLA, 2019.

A group of librarians and supporters standing on the steps of Powell Library at UCLA in 2018. Each holds a sign with a single letter, spelling out "Librarians Will Not Be Silent." On the left, two members carry a yellow and blue banner that reads "University Council - American Federation of Teachers, local 1990 UCLA".

UCLA, 2018.

Members of the Unit 18 bargaining team are seated at a long desk with laptops open. Behind them, members in blue union t-shirts, some sitting, some standing, observe. On the left, one member, standing, addresses the university's negotiators (not pictured).

Unit 18 bargaining at UCLA, 2019.

A marching band, wearing uniforms and white hats and carrying trumpets and a large tuba, lead a march of UCLA members and students at UCLA in 2021. Some carry signs reading "UC-AFT Faculty Demand Job Security"

UCLA, 2021.

Demonstration Teachers from the UCLA Lab School wearing blue UC-AFT t-shirts.

Demonstration Teachers from the UCLA Lab School.

Demonstration teachers and their students and supporters outside the UCLA Lab School entrance during their strike in 2023. They are holding picket signs reading "UC Unfair!" "UC-AFT On Strike" "Refusal to bargain is bad faith" and "Unfair Labor Practice Strike!"

Demonstration teachers and their supporters outside the UCLA Lab School entrance during their strike in 2023.

Demonstration teachers at the UCLA Lab School, many wearing blue UC_AFT t-shirts, post for a picture during their strike in 2023. Most are holding home made signs, which read "Teachers support students - please support us!", "Together we can make the UCLA Lab School better", "Teaching conditions are learning conditions", Teachers love the Lab School!", and "Teachers advocating for excellent teaching and learning conditions". They are joined by parents and supporters raising their fist and cheering.

Demonstration teachers at the UCLA Lab School during their strike in 2023.

A group of teachers, several wearing blue UC-AFT t-shirts, outside Geffen Academy at UCLA. The teachers are wearing masks to protect one another during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Geffen Academy teachers

Demonstration teachers at the UCLA Lab School, many wearing blue UC_AFT t-shirts, post for a picture during their strike in 2023. Most are holding home made signs, which read "Teachers support students - please support us!", "Together we can make the UCLA Lab School better", "Teaching conditions are learning conditions", Teachers love the Lab School!", and "Teachers advocating for excellent teaching and learning conditions". One student (approximately 7 years old) holds a blue UC-AFT sign.

Demonstration teachers at the UCLA Lab school during their strike in 2023.

UC-AFT members hold signs at a Halloween-themed action in 2019. Handmade signs read (left to right): "UC's treatment of lecturers - All trick, no treat", "Our Working Conditions are Students' Learning Conditions," "Halloween is Scary - Social Security for Faculty Shouldn't Be" and "Haunted by UC's Treatment of Lecturers"

UCLA Halloween Action, 2019.