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

New contract raises the bar for Waterbury city workers

Waterbury city workers have something more to celebrate. Over 400 blue-collar workers with AFSCME Local 353 won a contract that will provide generous wage increases over four years without major increases in their health care costs – an unprecedented accomplishment they never expected.

The contract which was approved in May, with wage increases retroactive to June 2022, includes a new salary schedule with higher minimum and maximum wage rates, along with an overall average wage increase of 13.6 percent. Other highlights of the contract include:

Council 4 scholarship winners say unions are integral to their past and future

Two students from AFSCME Council 4 families will head to college this Fall with some help from their union family.

Council 4 awarded Logan German and Emma DeVito as the winners of the 2023 Education Scholarships. Each will receive $2,000 – renewable for up to four years.

AFSCME holds job fairs to recruit talented public service workers

As part of its Staff the Front Lines nationwide bus tour, AFSCME will be holding job fairs in cities across the country to recruit people who are interested in good, union jobs working in public service.

AFSCME ‘Staff the Front Lines’ bus tour seeks to solve staffing crisis in public service


States, cities, towns and schools face a staffing crisis. Hiring for public service jobs has failed to keep pace with the private sector. In April, for instance, there were 833,000 job openings in state and local governments, according to data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In response, AFSCME is kicking off a national bus tour this summer to recruit talented, diverse and dedicated people to staff the front lines.

PTSI Awareness: What workers should know about this silent injury

A normal part of our daily jobs involves clocking in, working through a shift and clocking out at the end of the workday. But what happens when a traumatic event occurs at work that stays with you beyond your shift? Disturbing and tragic events, such as witnessing a co-worker injured on the job, or even worse – dying on the job – can inflict trauma that may last a lifetime.

That is why Council 4 advocated for and won passage of legislation restoring workers’ compensation coverage for post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) for all workers, regardless of job type or setting.

New Haven library workers organize to bridge the gap in children services

Written by Amy O'Connor, AFSCME Council 4

In late summer 2020, Connecticut was still hunkering down while the pandemic raged. While others were trying to “stay home and stay safe” per the Governor’s order, library workers at the Courtland S. Wilson Branch Library in New Haven were thinking outside the box to reconnect with their community.

Strides for workers made during 2023 legislative session

The Connecticut General Assembly ended its recent legislative session on June 7. In this “long” session and budget year, Council 4 members worked in tandem with political staff to achieve significant wins for working people across the state.

After a three-year hiatus, Council 4’s Lobby Day returned on May 17 with a lively spirit as more than 50 members came to the Capitol in their AFSCME green to advocate for bills supporting the work they do for their communities.

New Haven Unions Secure Contract Deals with the City

New Haven, CT – After three years of negotiating with the city, nearly 800 New Haven clerical and professional management employes have a new contract.

Members of AFSCME Local 884, representing clerical employees, and AFSCME Local 3144, representing New Haven professional management employees, will benefit from the new agreements after working without an active contract for three years.