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

Hard-fought Middletown library contract is another example of the union difference

By Raju Chebium (AFSCME) & Renee Hamel (Council 4)

Workers at the Russell Library in Middletown are celebrating their newly won contract, which took nearly a year of tough negotiations and highlights the union difference.

Thirty-three Russell Library staff members covered under the fiscal year 2023-2025 contract perform the full range of duties that keeps their institution running. Members of AFSCME Local 1303-85 overwhelmingly ratified the collective bargaining agreement last month.

Call for Nominations for 2023 Member Recognition Awards

Council 4 is on the lookout for members who are dedicated unionists and labor activists always going the extra mile for their union siblings, or are outstanding citizens making a difference in their community or in someone’s life.

If you have these people in your ranks, please consider submitting their names to the Recognition & Awards Committee. Recipients will receive the awards at the Council 4 Biennial Conference Recognition Dinner on Friday, April 14, 2023, at the Mystic Marriott Hotel.

Council 4 Announces Priorities for 2023 Legislative Session

The General Assembly convened last week for a "long" legislative session that concludes June 7. Since this is an odd-numbered year, the General Assembly and governor will work towards completing a state budget.

Council 4's legislative priorities, informed by discussions with Council 4 leaders and members, reflect a commitment to properly fund quality public services, maintain and increase staffing at the state and local levels, and advocate for workers' rights and protections.

Public Service Proud: Creating official records

Sotonye Otunba-Payne works as a court recording monitor in New Haven Superior Court. She’s the person you see sitting in front of the judge typing every word spoken while court is in session, creating the official record. People anywhere in the world can, and do, request these transcripts, so it’s a responsibility Otunba-Payne always has taken seriously since she started nearly 25 years ago.

New slate of member trainings, workshops announced

AFSCME Council 4 offers a variety trainings and workshops to our members and recently announced several events scheduled for January through June 2023.

SEBAC Statement Regarding Pandemic Pay Arbitration for State Employees

December 23, 2022

Yesterday marked the second and final day of the arbitration hearing between SEBAC and the State of Connecticut over the amount of pandemic pay due to frontline essential state employees. 

Two veterans stick together from the battlefield to the union floor

U.S. Army veterans Robert Beamon and Stan Sudduth forged a bond 20 years ago that remains strong as union members in AFSCME Local 391 (State Corrections).

They have stayed side by side through military deployment to becoming correctional officers to serving as union leaders.

Beamon, Local 391 vice president, and Sudduth, an executive board member, met in the Army in 2000 through the military police in Hartford.

AFSCME supports bill that would further expand and improve loan forgiveness program

Thanks to efforts by the Biden administration and AFSCME, many public service workers, including AFSCME members, have seen their student loans forgiven under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.