Administrative & Residual (A&R) Employees Union

Overcoming Challenges to Take a "Step in the Right Direction"

Fri, 07/30/2021 - 5:30pm
Despite the lingering economic effects of the pandemic, union members have since May continued to score substantial successes in collective bargaining negotiations. We are highlighting a local affiliate in this latest quarterly report that survived the fiscal fallout of COVID-19 and won a strong new contract. Their focus on tapping available federal relief resources paid off for a local community hit hard by the global public health crisis.
 

Awarding Activism and Aiding Academics

Mon, 06/28/2021 - 6:30pm
Like every other aspect of our lives, the ongoing COVID-19 crisis impacted the presentation of annual awards and scholarships at our state federation's 2021 convention. Members were last month recognized virtually for their "above-and-beyond" activism, and several weeks later educational grant winners received notice of their selection. The unorthodox celebrations were indicative of the challenges our labor family has faced and overcome this past year.
 

Lifting Up Managerial and Exempt Employees

Fri, 11/29/2019 - 6:30pm
Our state federation's ongoing efforts to empower a greater share of the public sector workforce with a voice on the job continue surging ahead. A week-long membership mobilization drive drew union leaders and activists from across the state — and the nation — this fall to AFT Connecticut's Rocky Hill headquarters. "ConnectiBlitz 2019" brought more than 60 managerial and exempt state employees into our labor family while at the same time strengthening one of our newest local affiliates.
 

Making Our Collective Voice "Heard in the Voting Booth"

Tue, 11/19/2019 - 6:30pm
The vote tallies in the 2019 General Election say it all; 23 members of AFT Connecticut-affiliated local unions across the state won their respective races for municipal office. There is no debating the value of backing our sisters and brothers when they step up to show their communities that “labor is your neighbor.” Importantly, it also points to the path for restoring working peoples' political power as nationally important elections in 2020 draw near.
 
Click here for final election results in races in which AFT Connecticut made endorsements.
 

"Winning a Better Future for More Working People"

Tue, 07/30/2019 - 5:30pm
Veteran labor activists in both the private and the public sectors will attest to significant challenges in winning initial and first successor union contracts. AFT Connecticut-affiliated locals secured such collective bargaining agreements, arbitration awards and memoranda of understanding over the past three months. We're highlighting two of these important victories, which demonstrated how member engagement and internal organizing can overcome steep obstacles and make meaningful gains.
 

Keeping the Commitment to "Win-Win" Solutions

Mon, 06/24/2019 - 5:30pm
Republican lawmakers earlier this month hatched a last-ditch attempt to block passage of a biennial budget package by misrepresenting so-called "labor savings." They have since continued pushing a false narrative that public sector union leaders were negotiating "concessions" with the administration of Governor Ned Lamont. In reality,  nothing could be further from the truth; ongoing discussions have since January focused on "win-win" solutions, not more givebacks.
 

Standing Up to the State Employee "Blame Game"

Sat, 12/22/2018 - 1:00pm
Last month on Election Day the candidates for statewide office and the legislature who pledged to stand up for Connecticut's working families won big. Yet corporate lobbyists and their front groups continue pushing austerity policies that benefit big business and the ultra-rich ahead of the opening of the General Assembly's 2019 session. Union leaders are mobilizing to ensure the new Lamont Administration and incoming lawmakers make better choices than more middle-class givebacks or additional public service cuts.
 

Providing "Proven Strategies for Building Power"

Sat, 08/18/2018 - 10:30am
Building on successful volunteer-based initiatives spanning the past three years, AFT Connecticut will this fall launch the next generation of its Member Organizer Institute (MOI) program. The effort, jointly funded by our national union, state federation and local affiliates, seeks to build greater participation by offering compensation to our most valuable resource — active members. The application period is now open, and leaders are seeking potential candidates for a paid cohort to begin training in late September.
 
Click here for a fact sheet on the MOI program.
 

Defending the "Future of Our Collective Bargaining Rights"

Mon, 07/09/2018 - 5:00pm
A Republican legislative leader last week launched a politically motivated media attack on gains made by state employee unions. At issue are contractual bonuses due later this month as part of a 2017 agreement to protect jobs, extend benefits and preserve services. In reality, the true targets are the collective bargaining rights that secured them — rights which face an uncertain future in the wake of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision.
 
Click here for reporting on the state Senator's remarks.
 

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.
 
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