Politics

A small group of leaders representing several public sector unions in mid January sat down with Governor Ned Lamont and members of his new administration. The purpose of the informal meeting was to explore potential efforts to further safeguard pensions for state employees and shore up retirement funding for teachers. The discussion followed Lamont's frequent assertions last year as a candidate to treat working people — particularly, union members — in Connecticut with "fairness, dignity and respect."

 

Members of five AFT Connecticut-affiliated local unions have over the past three months secured new contracts that raise wages, protect benefits, secure jobs and improve working conditions. While each individual agreement represents significant progress for working people, two in particular demonstrate the power of collective action. Both are the product of members engaged in local political and legislative action that positively impacted talks with their employers.

 

The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday issued its long-anticipated ruling in the Janus v. AFSCME Council 31 lawsuit — one that favors billionaires out to destroy America's labor movement. The 5-4 decision overturned a four decades-old precedent and has long been the goal of a shadowy network of deep-pocketed political operatives. Here in Connecticut, union members gathered in Hartford to denounce this judicial attack on their freedom to negotiate a fair return on their work.

 

Delegates to AFT Connecticut’s annual business convention on Saturday voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution to formally endorse Ned Lamont's candidacy in the 2018 gubernatorial election. The action follows months of preparations and preliminary mobilization that began last fall with the development of our state federation's strategic plan. The resolution sets in motion the critical volunteer recruitment phase in which union members will be tapped to fuel our grassroots "labor is your neighbor" program.