News

Telework Arbitration Victory

Three agencies continued to misapply the current SEBAC Telework agreement (DOT, DSS, and Office of the Attorney General).  Although we had already prevailed in arbitration on the issue of an

It’s Up to Us: Labor Carrying the King Legacy Forward

The following is adapted from remarks delivered by President Saunders at the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor’s Martin Luther King Day Breakfast on January 14, 2023.

12/7/2022: Judicial Panel Case NO. 22-117: Local 714 Eligibility Challenge and Election Protest

Afscme international has provided their written decision regarding the local 714 election protest and eligibiility challenge.

The 20 page document has been uploaded below for you to read in

Public Service Workers Need Unions More than Ever

Public service workers across the country are losing their foothold in the middle class. So says an article in The New York Times this week that serves as a reminder of why labor unions are more needed now than ever.

Council 4 Delegates Convention Affirms Fight for Our Freedom

Against a backdrop of legislative and judicial attacks aimed at destroying the rights and freedoms of unionized workers – including the forthcoming Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME Council 31 – more than 200 members of affiliated local unions and chapters helped chart a path forward during Council 4’s biennial business convention on April 14 in Farmington, CT.

Convention highlights included keynote remarks by Danny Homan, President of AFSCME Council 61, which represents public sector workers in Iowa, Kansas and Missouri.

Gearing Up to Defeat the 'Let Them Eat Cake' Commission

Less than three months after its inaugural meeting, the legislative Commission on Fiscal Stability and Economic Growth last Friday released its recommendations to the General Assembly. Considering the panel's domination by corporate executives, their proposals are unsurprisingly heavily tilted in favor of the ultra-rich. Still, their plan to silence the voices of Connecticut's working men and women are cause for genuine concern — and a call to action.

Council 4 Members Assert Their Rights and Freedoms as Supreme Court Hears Anti-Worker Janus Case

We Rise New Haven 2 26 18

“Our union. Our choice. You’re not gonna take away our voice.”

That was the rallying cry of more than 200 union workers and community allies who rallied on the steps of New Haven City Hall today to protect the rights and freedom of workers to negotiate together and fight for decent and equitable pay, affordable health care, quality schools, and vibrant communities.

Unions Urge Business Leaders To Take High Road to Growth

Leaders of Connecticut’s labor movement took a strong stand against attacks on working people in a wide-ranging presentation to the Commission on Fiscal Stability and Economic Growth, advocating an approach that invests in public services and structures, makes Connecticut's tax structure fairer, and provides workers with the security and purchasing power needed for sustainable growth.

“Time to Raise Up Workers!” Connecticut Unions Declare at Start of Legislative Session

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Wednesday, February 7, 2018 

HARTFORD, Conn. – As the Connecticut General Assembly convenes today for the start of the 2018 session, unions representing thousands of Connecticut workers are standing together to demand the passage of bills that would support working people and strengthen communities in one of the most economically divided states in the nation. Together, union workers are supporting statewide bills that would provide:

New Year's Day or Groundhog Day?

During this time of giving and reflection, a new opportunity has emerged to help move toward a more prosperous future for all. Most Connecticut politicians have for the past two years refused to ask millionaires and corporations to pay their fair share to protect and preserve our state's quality of life. But passage last week of massive, permanent federal tax cuts for the nation's rich and powerful offers hope in 2018 for reclaiming needed resources on behalf of working families.

Council 4 Podcast Tackles Sexual Harassment

Our latest Council 4 Unplugged podcast takes on the topical issue of sexual harassment.

Our guests are Tanjorie Godwin (AFSCME Local 1565) and  Cathy Osten (CSEA-SEIU), who were among the union members who fought back against the culture of sexual harassment cultivated by Department of Correction management more than 12 years ago.

Godwin, who retired from DOC in 2015, and Osten, a three-term State Senator, say their unions made a big difference in advancing their fight for justice.