News

Union Supports Family Values for Hamden School Crossing Guard

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

Engaging Our Union Members To Combat Climate Change

There’s no avoiding the reality of what’s happening to our environment.

This Year on 9/11, We Finally Live Up to Our Promise to Help Those Who Never Quit

On Sept. 11, 2001, we as a nation faced a tragedy unique in our history.

In Memoriam: Lois O'Connor, 1928-2018

We mourn the loss of former Council 4 President Lois O'Connor, a true stalwart in the struggle for labor, civil and women's rights. Lois passed away July 9 at the age of 90.

Red Cross Workers Unite for Fair Contract, Better Working Conditions

Across the country, front-line blood collection workers at the American Red Cross, including members of Local 3145 of AFSCME Council 4 in Connecticut, are fighting to improve working conditions in national contract negotiations with their corporate employer.
 
Local 3145 is part of a national union coalition representing more t

Janus Vs. AFSCME: Get the Facts, Stay Union Strong

Any day now, the United States Supreme Court will issue a ruling on Janus v. AFSCME Council 31. This lawsuit aims to take away the freedom of public workers to join together in strong unions. When the highest court in the nation heard the case on February 26, the nine justices essentially heard arguments for and against Right to Work For Less for public sector workers across the nation.

AFSCME Local 1303 Awards College Scholarships

AFSCME Local 1303, representing 7,500 municipal employees across the state, announced the winners of the 2018 College Scholarships, awarded annually to the children of union members pursuing their higher education degrees.

Local 1303’s Scholarship Committee selected eight high school seniors and two collegiate freshmen to receive individual scholarships of $1,000 to apply to their studies next year. Scholarship applications included an essay on how union membership benefited a student’s life and family.

Ellington School Employees Fend Off The Privateers

When Ellington school cafeteria workers heard that school officials were entertaining options to outsource their work to a private company, they shifted into overdrive to stop the effort before it gained any momentum.

The cafeteria workers are part of Local 1303-242 of Council 4, a bargaining unit that represents more than 50 Board of Education custodial, maintenance and food service employees.

Trickster Alert: Anti-Union Forces Coming After Your Privacy and Your Rights

Out-of-state special interests have taken advantage of Connecticut’s Freedom of Information (FOI) laws to exploit your privacy. Funded by anti-worker billionaires, they have sent requests to multiple Connecticut agencies for their employees' names and personal information. They will likely initiate the same maneuver with municipalities and boards of education.

Thanking Those Who Serve at 15th Annual Council 4 Vets Picnic

Rocky Hill, CT, May 26, 2018 – Council 4 union members kicked off the 2018 Memorial Day weekend as they have since 2003: with a big “thank you” to state military veterans.

 Their thanks came in the form of the Council 4 Veterans Picnic at the State Veterans Home in Rocky Hill. This year marked the 15th anniversary of the event, which over the years has raised nearly $200,000 to improve programs and facilities on the Rocky Hill campus and to help other veterans’ organization around the state.

Marine veteran Ron Coveney expressed appreciation for Council 4’s efforts.

CEO Pay Skyrockets To 361 Times That Of The Average Worker

CEO pay for major companies in the United States rose nearly 6% in the past year, as income inequality and the outsourcing of good-paying American jobs have increased. According to the new AFL-CIO Executive Paywatch, the average CEO of an S&P 500 Index company made $13.94 million in 2017—361 times more money than the average U.S.