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

Council 4 Holiday Toy Drive

Council 4 will be collecting new, unused and unwrapped toys, and gift cards  through December 13, 2018.

We will donate toys and gift cards to the United Labor Agency, which helps Connecticut’s working families in need. (If you’d like to make a monetary contribution, please make your check payable to the United Labor Agency.)

All locals, individual members and employees of Council 4 who wish to participate in this effort may bring donations to Council 4 in New Britain. 

Working Americans Step Up and Win Big in 2018 Midterms

The best spokespeople for anyone running for elected office are everyday Americans spreading the word to their neighbors, co-workers, friends and relatives. That’s why public service workers who are AFSCME members came out this year across the nation to help elect candidates who support working families.

And we won big.

We won at every level of government and in almost every state. AFSCME members made our voices heard, helping our partners in For Our Future knock on 7.5 million doors and hold 925,000 conversations in targeted states.

Voting For Our Union Values on Nov. 6

Election Day is November 6, 2018. The stakes are higher than ever.

Council 4's legislative and political action program is geared toward defending our pay, benefits and voice on the job -- all of which are under attack by the same ultra-wealthy and corporate special interests that bankrolled the Janus v. AFSCME case, in which the Supreme Court nationalized "Right To Work For Less."

Unions Push for “Grade A” Paid Parental Leave

Better wages. Check. Better working conditions. Check. And, thanks to unions, we now know there is also a union difference for workers who have access to critical benefits like paid parental leave.

According to recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 17 percent of all U.S. workers have access to paid family leave.  

They're "Re-Membering" To Stick With Their Union

As more Americans realize unions may be their best bet to reverse economic trends that favor the rich and powerful, the labor movement faces relentless attacks from the very forces that benefit the most from economic inequality. Shadowy front groups funded by billionaires spend millions of dollars attacking unions in the courts, in the media, and at the ballot box. 

Believe It or Not, Congress Seeks More Tax Cuts for the Rich

At a time when our country needs real investments in infrastructure, education and public services, congressional leaders are doubling down on tax cuts for the rich.

A Decade Later: Four Ways Working People Are Still Paying for the 2008 Financial Crisis

It was 10 years ago this month that the 2008 financial crisis kicked into high gear. When storied Wall Street bank Lehman Brothers shut down, bankers walking out of the building carrying cardboard boxes of their possessions made the perfect image for TV cameras.

Working America: In Connecticut, Working For Us

We have exciting news to report.