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

House Bill Simplifies and Fixes PSLF, Overhauls Higher Education

A bill that has been introduced in the House of Representatives would simplify the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program for current and would-be participants.

Mobilizing for the 2019 Municipal Elections

Council 4 is gearing up for the 2019 municipal elections on Nov. 5, 2019.

This is our opportunity to elect pro-union candidates to local offices, from Town Councils and Boards of Selectmen to Boards of Education and Boards of Finance.

Through our member-led Council 4 PEOPLE Committee, we have interviewed and recommended candidates who share our values and have pledged to respect collective bargaining and workers' rights in their local communities.

RohanTrevon Brown of Local 714: Millennial on a Mission

Ask RohanTrevon Brown of AFSCME Local 714 if millennials are the future of our AFSCME union, and he’ll answer with a resounding “Yes.”

“The generation before us was taught to follow whatever you were told,” the 29-year-old Brown said. “I’ve grown up in an era where you verify, check and ask questions. Having a union provides me the means to do that.”

We Support Bill to Cut Drug Prices

It’s not a secret that drug prices in the United States are rising much faster than inflation. To take but one example: between 2002 and 2013, the price of insulin, a hormone that saves millions of lives every year, more than tripled.

Never Quit: Ellington DPW Crew Saves a Fellow Member's Life

The “Never Quit” attitude of AFSCME members was on full display in the Town of Ellington on June 10, when the heroic actions of three Department of Public Works employees saved the life of their colleague Shawn Bull.

The day started normally for Bull, a DPW maintainer and member of AFSCME Local 1303-009, but soon veered into disaster when he lost control of his high-powered chop saw while working on a catch basin. The saw kicked back, sliced Bull’s neck open and severed his carotid artery and jugular vein.

AFSCME’s Wage Calculator Highlights the Benefits of Union Membership

Screenshot of wage calculator

AFSCME members have long known one big advantage of joining a union: better wages.

Local 704's Denise Stevenson: "Everyone Should Have A Pension"

Share Your Story: Denise

Denise Stevenson, a 33-year veteran of state government and a second generation union member, is not reticent about extolling the virtues of pensions.

“I think that everyone should be entitled to have a pension if you work in the United States,” she said. “A pension is not a fringe benefit. It’s a right.”

Stevenson is a Unit Supervisor for the State Department of Social Services. In addition to serving as a union steward, she is also an Executive Board member of Local 704 (NP-3 Clerical Bargaining Unit).

Union Supports Family Values for Hamden School Crossing Guard

The birth of a baby is a blessed event, but it can be stressful, too.

Melissa Prosco of AFSCME Local 2863 (Hamden Town Employees and School Crossing Guards) experienced both ends of the spectrum when she and her husband Matthew recently welcomed their second son Aaron into the world.

Thanks to her union, Melissa and her family are in full blessing mode.

Prosco, a school crossing guard, experienced complications with her pregnancy that necessitated Caesarian section surgery and a nearly week-long hospital stay.