News

State Employees' Reopener, Recruitment and Retention Agreement Approved by Appropriations Committee

State Employees' Reopener, Recruitment and Retention Agreement Approved by Appropriations Committee

Agreement will continue efforts to protect and expand our communitie

Council 4 Executive Board Elections

The regular election of AFSCME Council 4 Executive Board members took place on April 6, 2024 at our union headquarters in New Britain, CT.

The results are as follows:

Council 4 Education Scholarships

COUNCIL 4 EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIPS

To recognize the extraordinary efforts of our members and to foster unionism, Council 4 is offering continuing education assistance in th

Public Service Proud: Union members welcome students back to school

AFSCME Council 4 members employed in public schools provide a range of support outside of the classroom: school security, food service, college and career planning, student health.

As a new school year starts, we spoke with some of our members who work as school support staff about how they contribute to student success and how the union, in turn, supports them.

As workers organize from coast to coast, approval of labor unions continues to rise

Graph of the Gallup poll.

As workers continue to organize throughout the country – from cultural institutions to 

Strong showing from Council 4 at union conventions

Union conventions are staple gatherings for members to build solidarity, take part in democratic governance of their union and become re-energized to continue in growing the labor movement.

This summer, Council 4 members served as delegates for two union conventions held biannually — Connecticut AFL-CIO political convention and AFSCME International convention. 

Contracts settlements include higher wages

The months of June and July can be a busy time for collective bargaining agreement  settlements, with many contracts going into effect July 1, the start of the fiscal year.

Members of AFSCME Local 1303-392, representing a group of 45 Litchfield school employees, ratified a two-year contract on June 3, effective July 1, which the Litchfield Board of Education approved at its meeting June 9.

Upcoming member trainings, workshops announced

Council 4 AFSCME offers a variety trainings and workshops to our members and recently announced several events scheduled for September through December.

Topics include multi-part trainings for Class 1 and Class 2 stewards, a look at the roles and responsibilities of local officers, workers' comp, duty of fair representation, new member outreach for leaders, tips for running an effective meeting, new laws that public sector employers are required to follow, a review of the Freedom of Information Act and a special estate planning workshop for members and guests with lunch provided.

Pandemic Pay Update for State Workers

Frontline essential state workers sacrificed their health and safety throughout COVID-19 to ensure that the critical public services our 3.6 million Connecticut residents rely on remained accessible.

While Connecticut can never fully repay frontline essential workers (private, municipal and state), it can certainly take a step to respect these workers. Pandemic pay is that step.

Public Service Proud: Family, union members working side by side

The union makes its members brothers and sisters, but we also have parents and their kids who are AFSCME members — sometimes working together side by side.

Local 1716 President Orlando Mercado Jr. works alongside his father, Orlando Mercado Sr., in the City of Hartford Public Works garage.

The younger Mercado has been the local president for almost a year and on the job for 10 years. He’s an automotive mechanic, working on police cruisers, the mayor’s car and other city vehicles.

Strong push yields pandemic pay for union members

More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, public sector workers remain essential, and some elected leaders in Connecticut — with a strong push from our union members — are recognizing their hard work and sacrifices with pandemic “hero” pay.

At the municipal level, several AFSCME Council 4 locals have won pandemic pay for members in high-risk jobs.