NEWS RELEASE
California Teachers Association

BURLINGAME – Dean E. Vogel, president of the 325,000-member California Teachers Association, released this statement regarding the pension reform agreement announced by Gov. Brown today:

“We have been working in good faith with the governor and Legislature to obtain pension solutions that will move our state forward. This plan does not achieve that goal. This process has not been transparent, it does not recognize the tremendous cuts that have already been made to our schools, and it does not respect the disproportionate impact it will have, largely on women working in our classrooms. Instead, it will make it more difficult to attract and retain experienced educators to our classrooms.

Currently, 70 percent of California’s teachers are women who, unlike other employees, do not receive Social Security or retiree health benefits. In addition, teachers have taken pay cuts for the past few years to help the state balance its budget. This proposal is not fair to teachers, public employees and will ultimately hurt our students and our state.”

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The 325,000-member CTA is affiliated with the 3.2 million-member National Education Association.