Perspectives on AFT 2121
I’m a local journalist, CCSF alumni, and part-time faculty in the Journalism Department.
When I was asked to apply for an emergency teaching position at City College, I did so without hesitation. The college has been an important resource for three generations of my family.
After I was hired, when I was asked to join AFT Local 2121 and make contributions to COPE (Committee on Political Education), I did so without hesitation. Labor unions are critical for a just workplace and society. Period.
I’ve been a part of the journalism department for seven years now, and you better believe I’m sticking with AFT.
Why I joined goes beyond the usual reasons. I could give you facts and figures about job security, compensation, and the like that labor unions offer their members and nonmembers. But you know all that. I’ll spare you a rundown of the adverse actions going on at the state and federal levels. You definitely know and cannot escape that.
I see our local punching above its weight. Case in point: The 2023 incident in which AFT discovered the college’s chancellor had fabricated a document to justify transferring $21 million from one fund to another (see coverage in The Ingleside Light). The creation of a budgetary document—even with good intent—is so far from OK. And our local took it to the labor court and won a settlement.
We can only get accountability like that when we band together. And I anticipate our local will be a leader in important equity fights to come, namely the ending of the two-tier system that exploits part-timers and threatens full time faculty positions. A better community, after all, starts with an organized community college.
All the best,
Alexander Mullaney
Journalism Faculty
AFT Member
AFT 2121 @ No Kings Mass Mobilization 6/14/25
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