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

In Memoriam: Council 4 Service Rep Steve Curran, 1963-2022

The Council 4 union family is grieving the untimely death of Steve Curran, a beloved service representative who fought tenaciously for our members and dedicated an extraordinary amount of his time and energy to supporting military veterans and rehabilitating rescue dogs.

Steve died April 29 at Yale New Haven Hospital due to complications from a stroke that he suffered on April 10. He was 58.

AFSCME Local 714 Announces 2022 Scholarship Program

Local 714 of AFSCME Council 4, will offer $750.00 scholarships to encourage continued education and learning to those who attend an accredited 2-year or 4-year college or technical/trade school.

Who Can Apply: High school seniors who are the children of parents, legal guardians, or grandparents who are paying members of AFSCME Council 4, Local 714. 

Eligibility Criteria: parent, legal guardian, or grandparent must be an active verifiable “dues” paying member in good standing.

Application Process: 

Overlooked by management during the pandemic, Red Cross workers fight for a fair contract

They collect, protect and deliver our nation’s blood supply, yet the almost 3,000 American Red Cross workers are not being paid what they deserve, lack the staff to do their jobs effectively, face cuts to their health care and, over the course of the pandemic, have often gone without pay and adequate personal protective equipment (PPE).

Historic SEBAC agreement is voted favorably out of the Senate floor

Following the bipartisan majority vote in the House Thursday, we are proud to see the Senate successfully vote for the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) contract.

Biden administration extends pause on student loan repayment

Good news for federal student loan borrowers: This month, the Biden administration again extended the pause on student debt repayment – this time through Aug. 31.

Council 4 Education Scholarships

To recognize the extraordinary efforts of our members and to foster unionism, Council 4 is offering continuing education assistance in the form of a $2,000 per year scholarship for up to four years (max $8,000) to dependents of Council 4 members and retirees. 

Each year, the Council 4 Scholarship Committee selects two students to award a $2,000 scholarship paid to the school of the winners.  Winners are eligible for up to four consecutive years by doing a brief presentation to the executive board.

Unions, allies release critiques of Yankee Institute

Opponents of the Yankee Institute for Public Policy released two reports last week exposing the right-wing think tank's malevolent anti-union motivations and shadowy funding sources.

Recovery For All — a statewide coalition of 58 community, labor and faith organizations, including Council 4 AFSCME — convened a virtual press conference April 6 with leaders from the state legislature, clergy, community groups and labor organizations to announce the release of two new reports critiquing the Hartford-based Yankee Institute.

Council 4 Convention Recap: Officers and Vice Presidents Elected

Council 4 concluded its 29th Biennial Convention on April 9, 2022 at our union headquarters in New Britain.

As a precursor to the Convention, the Council 4 Delegate Assembly met on Feb. 24 (also at Council 4) to accept nominations for the Executive Board Officers as follows:

Executive Director, AFSCME Council 4 Executive Board
President, AFSCME Council 4 Executive Board
Secretary, AFSCME Council 4 Executive Board

Vice Presidents, AFSCME Council 4 Executive Board: