News

Biden forgives student loans for an additional 78,000 public service workers

AFSCME President Lee Saunders praised the White House’s announcement Thursday that the Biden administration will forgive student loans for an additional 78,000 borrowers — including many AFSCME mem

Thanking Those Who Serve at 15th Annual Council 4 Vets Picnic

Rocky Hill, CT, May 26, 2018 – Council 4 union members kicked off the 2018 Memorial Day weekend as they have since 2003: with a big “thank you” to state military veterans.

 Their thanks came in the form of the Council 4 Veterans Picnic at the State Veterans Home in Rocky Hill. This year marked the 15th anniversary of the event, which over the years has raised nearly $200,000 to improve programs and facilities on the Rocky Hill campus and to help other veterans’ organization around the state.

Marine veteran Ron Coveney expressed appreciation for Council 4’s efforts.

AFSCME to Trump: Federal Workers Deserve Respect

AFSCME President Lee Saunders lashed out at the Trump administration after President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders to make it easier to fire federal workers and weaken their unions.

CEO Pay Skyrockets To 361 Times That Of The Average Worker

CEO pay for major companies in the United States rose nearly 6% in the past year, as income inequality and the outsourcing of good-paying American jobs have increased. According to the new AFL-CIO Executive Paywatch, the average CEO of an S&P 500 Index company made $13.94 million in 2017—361 times more money than the average U.S.

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AFSCME Council 4 Elects Jody Barr To Serve As Executive Director

NEW BRITAIN, CT — Members of the Council 4 Delegate Assembly tonight elected Jody Barr to be Executive Director of the union representing more than 30,000 public service workers in Connecticut.

Barr, a member of AFSCME Local 2836 (State University Organization of Administrative Faculty) received 25,284 votes to 1,756 votes for Charles DellaRocco, a member of AFSCME Local 749 (State Judicial Branch and Division of Criminal Justice.) The Executive Director's term is four years.

This is the AFSCME Agenda

When AFSCME members stand together, we have power in numbers. Together, we can defend our freedom to take our loved ones to the doctor when they get sick and retire with dignity some day. Together, we have the power to make our voices heard at work and in our democracy. That’s our AFSCME Agenda.

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.