News

Carrying Out Our 2020 Legislative Priorities

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

Council 4 Members Dedicated to Protecting A Vital Lifeline

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 Assista

Student Safety First for Killingly School Bus Drivers

Killingly school bus drivers – members of AFSCME Local 1303-261— see their work as more than simply transporting kids to school. They are responsible for protecting those kids, making sure they get to school and return home safe and sound.

Thanks to a collaboration with Council 4, they now have something they have been advocating for: miniature dash cameras that record the activities of motorists while the drivers are picking up and dropping off school children.

For Local 818's Tim Foley, "Turning Waste Into Water" Has Been A 44-Year Labor of Love

Tim Foley of AFSCME Local 818 (Municipal Supervisors) is a man who treasures stability.

For example, he’s been married to his wife Suzanne for 42 years. And on Jan. 31, he retired from the Vernon Water Pollution Control Authority after 44 years on the job.

The secret to his career longevity was simple.

“I loved the job,” he said with a characteristic mix of humor and earnestness. “Where else can you take [human waste] and turn it into clean water?”

Protecting Our Pensions and Strengthening Our Retirement Security

Protect CT Pensions

A pension is more than a promise to current and future retired workers. It’s a great way to attract and retain workers to public service. Just ask State Parole Officer James Long of AFSCME Local 1565 (NP-4 Department of Correction Bargaining Unit).

“A defined benefit plan is a much better retirement tool than a defined contribution plan,” he says. “It’s one of the main benefits that attracted to me public service.” 

Information About Upcoming Council 4 Officers Election

The US Department of Labor (USDOL) sent a letter on January 31,  2019 to officers of Council 4 local unions that had not yet submitted delegate credential documentation for the upcoming nominations and elections.  

Click here to to read the USDOL letter.

Special meetings of the Council 4 Delegate Assembly have been scheduled as follows:

New Contract Boosts New Haven Housing Authority Workers

The power of collective bargaining to improve the lives of union members can be witnessed in New Haven, where the members of AFSCME Local 713, representing clerical and maintenance employees at Elm City Communities/Housing Authority of New Haven (HANH), recently ratified a new contract with significant gains.

An AFSCME Strong Victory for Injured CT Police Officers

Three years ago, Bridgeport, Connecticut, Police Lt. Paul Grech of AFSCME Local 1159, Council 4 suffered a broken neck on the job when a civilian motorist crashed her car into his city vehicle.

“Without surgery, I’d have been in a wheelchair,” the 19-year veteran said about the injury, which put him out of work for 10 weeks.

If not for their union, Grech and several other Bridgeport police officers injured on the job since 2015 would have been shortchanged permanently on a wage supplement owed them under their collective bargaining agreement with the city.

Sail Away, Yacht Commission, Sail Away

Council 4 and other labor organizations are making it clear it’s time for the Commission on Fiscal Stability Economic Growth to move on after its privately-funded attacks on working people and collective bargaining failed to gain legislative session in 2018.

Federal Court Rejection of Corporate-Backed Lawsuit Is A Win for Working People

A federal court has ruled in favor of working families and against wealthy special interests in Danielson v. AFSCME Council 28, a case out of Washington state.