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

Moment of Silence Honors Memphis Sanitation Workers, Connects Past To Present

Across the United States, in communities large and small, working people took time out on Feb. 1 to honor the sacrifices of two Memphis sanitation workers whose deaths triggered the historic 1968 sanitation workers’ strike in that Tennessee city – and changed the course of civil and worker’s rights nationwide.

BLS Reports 260,000 More Union Members in 2017; 3,000 More in CT

Last week, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics released its annual report on union membership, which found that the number of union members rose by 260,000 in 2017.

In Connecticut, union membership rose by 3,000. This reflects critical organizing victories across a range of industries, which have reaped higher wages, better benefits and a more secure future for working people around the country.

Local 1303-025’s Mark Krauchick Honored for Worker Activism

From his perspective as a school custodian and local union leader, Mark Krauchick sees the economy growing more inequitable and the political invective directed against unionized workers more hostile.

It’s not his way to stay silent, which explains why Connecticut Working Families recently honored Krauchick, the president of AFSCME Local 1303-025 (Seymour Board of Education Custodians and Maintainers), as one of the Arthur Lee Perry Award for Worker Activism and Engagement at their annual banquet.

Waterbury Local 353 Members Provide Warmth in a Deep Freeze

When a cold freeze of arctic proportions hit Connecticut the weekend of Jan. 6, members of AFSCME Local 353, the Waterbury Blue Collar Union, did their part to help the city’s most vulnerable residents.

At the request of Mayor Neil M. O’Leary, six city and board of education plumbers served on call throughout the weekend to answer calls and trouble-shoot problems, from frozen pipes to broken furnaces and everything in between.

AFSCME Membership Matters!

AFSCME members like you set the standards of our pay, benefits and working conditions by coming together to negotiate for strong contracts.

We fight for justice in the workplace and in our communities. We negotiate not just for ourselves and our families but to meet the needs of the people we serve.

We stand for excellence in public service.

Here are some reasons why you ought to join together and strengthen AFSCME.

If you have already joined, thank you.

New Year's Day or Groundhog Day?

During this time of giving and reflection, a new opportunity has emerged to help move toward a more prosperous future for all. Most Connecticut politicians have for the past two years refused to ask millionaires and corporations to pay their fair share to protect and preserve our state's quality of life. But passage last week of massive, permanent federal tax cuts for the nation's rich and powerful offers hope in 2018 for reclaiming needed resources on behalf of working families.

Council 4 Podcast Tackles Sexual Harassment

Our latest Council 4 Unplugged podcast takes on the topical issue of sexual harassment.

Our guests are Tanjorie Godwin (AFSCME Local 1565) and  Cathy Osten (CSEA-SEIU), who were among the union members who fought back against the culture of sexual harassment cultivated by Department of Correction management more than 12 years ago.

Godwin, who retired from DOC in 2015, and Osten, a three-term State Senator, say their unions made a big difference in advancing their fight for justice.

AFSCME v. Janus: A Threat To All Working People

AFSCME members across the country, including Correctional Officer Matt Quigley from Local 1565 of Council 4, offer insight into how a Supreme Court case called Janus v. AFSCME threatens the rights and freedoms of all workers, union and non-union alike.

  • Click here to learn more from Matt and other AFSCME members, and join the fight to stand up for our union.