Posts tagged Connecticut State Board of Labor Relations
Connecticut: Another union complaint against Town of Branford dismissed
November 11, 2024 // The Connecticut State Board of Labor Relations dismissed yet another complaint made by the United Public Service Employees Union (UPSEU) against the Town of Branford. This is the third complaint this year. In September, the Board of Labor Relations dismissed a complaint that was filed by the UPSEU a year earlier. Three different units of the UPSEU-Branford—police workers, dispatchers and Water Pollution Control Authority employees—claimed that the Town of Branford violated the Municipal Employees Relations Act (MERA).
Manchester workers union criticized for ‘free riders’ list of members allegedly not paying dues
April 1, 2024 // Frank Ricci, retired president of a New Haven firefighters union and now a fellow at the conservative Yankee Institute for Public Policy, said, “This pernicious threat equates to raw intimidation and coercion — against hard-working employees’ lawful exercise of their First Amendment rights under the Janus decision.” Joseph DeMeo, a Manchester water treatment plant operator who is a member of the union and not on the list, said it creates “a hostile work environment.”
Hartford teacher wins labor complaint against union
September 6, 2023 // Grande was disciplined by the Board of Education after two colleagues complained about his reaction to mandatory training on privilege. He was issued a letter of reprimand, saying he had made inappropriate and unprofessional comments during the training. Grande has pushed back against that reprimand saying he was asked his opinion on the training and gave an honest answer. HFT did file for arbitration on Grande’s behalf after they were made aware of their duty to fair representation, but it was too late, with more than six months elapsing between the second grievance denial and filing for arbitration, so their request was denied.
Connecticut: City of Shelton doesn’t have to pay Teamsters’ “initiation fees” after MERA violation
May 10, 2023 // Teamsters Local 145 secretary-treasurer Dennis Novak wrote that he was happy the city hired these four individuals, there was no need to extend the period and alter provisions in the contract and refused to sign the MOU. The full-time offers to the four employees were ultimately rescinded. When the city moved to hire the same four workers to do the same work at the same pay as the full-time job on a contractual basis, they all signed union membership cards to have union dues deducted from their pay, but the city denied their memberships, saying that since the employment offers had been rescinded so should the union membership applications. The Labor Board ordered the city to cease and desist from dealing directly with prospective employees for bargaining unit positions, hire the four employees to the positions offered to them with back pay, and pay the union back dues. Shelton had been at odds with Local 145 in 2022 over contract negotiations that had reached a stalemate.
Union Refuses To Aid Teacher Who Faced Termination for Criticism of Woke Training
August 15, 2022 // A Connecticut gym teacher says his school threatened to fire him after he criticized its mandatory diversity training on "exploring privilege." But when he filed a grievance against the school, the local teachers' union dismissed the complaint without explanation. John Grande filed the grievance against Hartford Public Schools for what he called targeted discipline—including threats of termination and further "Sensitivity Awareness" training—but the American Federation of Teachers Local 1018, which has jurisdiction over this arbitration process for teachers, rejected his plea, his attorney told the Washington Free Beacon. Grande, who has been a gym teacher for 30 years, said the union retaliated against him for refusing to join the labor group. The training included an activity for teachers to split into groups and discuss their privilege in eight categories: class, ability, race, gender/sex, sexuality, nationality/citizenship, religion, and "other." Hartford Board of Education,