Federation of Technical College Teachers

Realizing Historic Wins to Secure a "Better Future"

Fri, 04/29/2022 - 3:30pm
Lawmakers in late April approved significant investments in the state workforce, capping union members' efforts aimed at successor contracts. Our latest quarterly collective bargaining report showcases seven affiliated public employee locals and their wider coalition's landmark achievement - their first such agreements without concessions in more than a decade. Together they demonstrated how a seat at the table yields much more than pay raises and better conditions.
 

Higher Ed Coalition Advocates for Legislation to Rein in Board of Regents

Fri, 03/06/2020 - 9:10am
HARTFORD – Faculty and staff from the state's community colleges and regional universities joined forces with students at the Legislative Office Building today for a capitol news briefing to announce a shared legislative agenda. Members of the unions representing Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) employees gathered to urge the Connecticut House and Senate move forward bills that increase financial transparency and accountability at the system office and Board of Regents (BOR). 
 

CSCU Faculty and Professional Unions Issue a Statement of Unity Opposing Consolidation Efforts

Thu, 12/12/2019 - 6:30pm
HARTFORD – The faculty and professional unions that comprise the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) released a joint statement today in opposition to the Board of Regents’ proposal to consolidate the 12 independently accredited community colleges.
 

"U & I in Union:" Beating the Same Forces "Coming After Us"

Sat, 09/29/2018 - 10:30am
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his famous Letter from a Birmingham Jail wrote that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." The civil rights leader's statement on the value of solidarity remains true today, especially for immigrant communities. We're sharing an example of a higher education professional engaging union members in direct action to win justice for a student's family threatened with being torn apart by deportation.
 

Helping Members Beat Back Student Debt

Mon, 03/19/2018 - 5:30pm
Across the country last year, staff and leaders from our national union held scores of clinics to guide thousands of members toward relief from the weight of their student loans. AFT Connecticut at the same time organized training sessions to help affiliated locals offer the workshops themselves, exponentially increasing the number of those that can benefit. Soaring student debt may seem like old news, but for current and former students locked in its grip, it feels relentlessly fresh and relevant.
 
Click here for our previous report on the clinics' launch.
 

Spotlight: Meeting Diverse Needs in Higher Ed

Wed, 11/01/2017 - 12:00pm
Most students in Connecticut's public community colleges are likely unaware that the majority of their professors may be non-tenure-track adjunct faculty. Despite their more precarious circumstances, these instructors are an integral part of the team that provides pathways to both gainful employment and future learning opportunities. During the week set aside to raise awareness of campus inequities, we're spotlighting a union member who began her higher education career as an adjunct and knows their worth firsthand.
 

Spotlight: Building the "Backbone" of the Community's Healthcare

Thu, 05/11/2017 - 3:30pm
Business leaders in Connecticut are increasingly reliant on the faculty in our state's public colleges to train and educate their future employees. Despite this growing need, many elected officials have reacted to mounting fiscal challenges by disinvesting in a proven source of effective and efficient workforce development. During the annual recognition of our nation's public service workers, we're spotlighting a union member who helps her students today prepare for good jobs tomorrow, despite mounting challenges.
 

Cutting Jobs "No Way to Achieve Prosperity"

Thu, 04/20/2017 - 1:30pm
The Malloy Administration today announced contingency plans for possible workforce layoffs, despite ongoing informal discussions with leaders of the unions in the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC). The exploratory talks have since last fall focused on mutually beneficial solutions for closing current and future state budget shortfalls. The possibility of further job cuts adds urgency to collective efforts to demand better choices than failed policies that have already negatively impacted Connecticut's quality of life.
 

The Challenge of Precarious Labor in Higher Ed

Fri, 12/23/2016 - 2:00pm
The landscape of America's working world continues to shift, with the number of unstable — and, often, part-time — jobs, low pay and exploitative conditions increasing at a rapid rate. At a daylong Washington, D.C., conference earlier this month, union leaders, policy experts and academics examined the contingent labor force and how to ensure fair working conditions for all. Much of the discussion centered on the issues impacting higher education adjunct faculty and graduate student employees; two groups participating in a "day of action" next month here in Connecticut.
 

Spotlight: Computer Science Educators Drive Innovation

Sat, 12/10/2016 - 10:00am
Educators in the field of computer science understand that their students learn skills that are both vocational and foundational. Related jobs are in every industry and represent the top source of new wages in the U.S. The discipline also relies on core fundamentals like problem solving, logical thinking and creativity. As international Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek) comes to a close, we're spotlighting union members who believe every student should learn how to understand the technology that drives innovation.
 
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