News

Department of Public Works (DPW) workers are often in the background of our bustling communities, but society would not function without these essential workers maintaining our roads and infr

The Connecticut General Assembly convenes Feb. 5, 2020 and adjourns May 6, 2020.

Council 4's legislative agenda reflects a commitment to advocating for laws and budgets that create good-paying jobs with benefits, promote quality public services and create healthy communities where our union members live and work.

To learn more and get involved, please contact Council 4 lobbyists Brian Anderson at [email protected] or Zak Leavy at [email protected].

It’s hard to imagine nearly 700,000 Americans going hungry, but that’s the anticipated impact of a harsh rule change imposed by the Trump administration for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

In Connecticut, Council 4 members like Bill Seedman of AFSCME Local 714 (P-2 Social & Human Services) will see the damaging ripple effect that poor nutrition has on young people and families. And they’re justifiably sounding the alarm.

Here’s a big reason to join a union – a bigger paycheck.New numbers from U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show just how much of a difference a union makes in terms of worker pay.

AFSCME members pushed Congress hard to fund the Substance Use Disorder Treatment Workforce Loan Repayment Program, which is aimed at helping lessen the burden of crushing student loans for full-time workers who treat or support patients with substance-use disorders.

In late December, $12 million in new funding was signed into law, a big victory for AFSCME’s United We Heal campaign, which led a grassroots effort in

On a normal day, Sandra Pacheco, an administrative assistant in Puerto Rico’s Department of Transportation and Public Works, begins her day at 7 a.m., filing paperwork for her colleagues in the field. It’s a job that Pacheco, who is president of her local, AFSCME Local 3889, Council 95 (Servidores Públicos Unidos de Puerto Rico), does with pride and dedication.

Comptroller Kevin Lembo recently issued the state’s first annual SEBAC Savings Analysis Report, detailing how the 2017 State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) agreement has saved Connecticut $1.7 billion since 2018. 

2020 is here. It's a perfect time for Council 4 members to get ahead with their education.

The AFSCME Free College Benefit makes it possible for you and your family members to earn an associate degree completely online – for FREE.

This union benefit is open to all active, dues-paying members, their spouses, children and grandchildren, as well as retired AFSCME members.

Through our national union's partnership with Eastern Gateway Community College in Ohio,  you can choose from the following degree programs:

Paraprofessionals are the quiet heroes of the school system. They significantly shape students’ lives and futures; on some occasions, they literally save lives.

That's the case in Killingly, where 125 paraprofessionals are represented by Local 3689 of Council 4.

Two years ago, a paraprofessional acted quickly and decisively to save a student from choking to death.  According to Local 3689 President Courtney Poirier, that incident was a catalyst to ramping up AFSCME’s commitment to offer on-the-job CPR training.