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Urging Action for a "Safe, Healthy Return to the Classroom"

Fri, 12/31/2021 - 12:30pm
Leaders representing over 60,000 public education employees across Connecticut are urging immediate implementation of new, strict, consistent protocols and safety standards in our schools. Our Board of Education (BOE) Union Coalition is calling on state and district officials to take specific additional steps ahead of students’ return from winter break. Action is needed now as the COVID-19 omicron variant continues transmitting at the highest levels since the start of the pandemic.
 
Click here for the coalition's updated core principles.
 

Encouraging Teachers to "Share Your Story" and Celebrate the Profession

Fri, 11/19/2021 - 1:30pm
State and local union leaders are engaging with rank-and-file members in support of a new multi-media project designed to raise educators’ collective public profile. The online platform, "Teachers of Connecticut," was in August launched to amplify the voices of practitioners across the state with an initial series of stories from the classroom. News outlets have since helped further raise public awareness with coverage of featured educators.
 

Winning a Contract that Shows "What is Possible"

Fri, 10/29/2021 - 12:30pm
Reflecting Connecticut's improved fiscal health, union members have over the past three months made solid progress in negotiations with their employers. A local affiliate whose leadership overcame their community's slow economic recovery to secure significant monetary improvements is being spotlighted in our latest collective bargaining report. By demonstrating a shared commitment to vital and valued health services, they moved their administrators to invest in both the current and future workforce.
 

Demanding Action to Reverse Critical Short-Staffing Conditions

Mon, 10/04/2021 - 5:30pm
State employees who provide essential public services are urging Governor Ned Lamont take immediate steps to address safety issues compounded by unprecedented levels of short-staffing. They have requested an extension on his recent executive order mandating COVID-19 vaccinations to avert harmful consequences for frontline workers and the residents who depend on them. Tomorrow's compliance deadline threatens to strain public health and safety services already stretched to the breaking point by staff shortfalls.
 

Resisting a Right-Wing Take-Over of Public Ed

Tue, 08/31/2021 - 5:30pm
Municipal elections provide union households the opportunity to impact employment and educational policies in their community’s schools. This basic civic responsibility in 2021 takes on added urgency; deep-pocketed special interests are funding local candidates to carry out extremist agendas. Members stepping up to demonstrate that “labor is your neighbor” provide a path forward this fall for defending educators' hard-fought gains and children’s future learning opportunities.
 

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.
 

Mobilizing Because "We Can't Afford to Sit on the Sidelines"

Mon, 05/24/2021 - 6:30pm
Union activists in the final stretch of the 2021 legislative session have escalated efforts to urge better choices while lawmakers and the governor deliberate over a biennial state budget. Among those leading the charge are state employees who have experienced firsthand the negative consequences of decades of failed austerity policies. They have over the past month amplified earlier demands to embrace a "recovery for all" approach by engaging in collective action.
 

Advancing Workplace Safety Because "We Stuck By Our Priorities"

Fri, 04/30/2021 - 6:30pm
Union members have over the past four months demonstrated the power of combining persistence and activism to make significant gains at the negotiating table. Our latest collective bargaining report showcases a local affiliate whose leaders organized high profile public actions to build support and mount pressure on their employer. Their commitment to a healthier and safer workplace paved the way for winning long overdue protections.
 

Speaking Out for Essential Workers Who Risked it All

Fri, 03/26/2021 - 1:30pm
Local and state union activists and leaders earlier this month turned-out in record numbers to advocate for themselves and fellow frontliners impacted by the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) crisis. The occasion was a legislative public hearing held by the Connecticut General Assembly's committee that oversees employment policies and practices. Joined by members of allied labor organizations, they took a strong stand to demand restitution for their sacrifices and preparation for the next pandemic.
 
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