Posts tagged Connecticut
Trojan Horse Alert: Teamsters Using Dirty Tricks to Unionize CT Businesses
July 12, 2023 // The Teamsters Local 671, of Bloomfield, is teaming up with the Connecticut Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) to recruit individuals to infiltrate businesses with the explicit objective of unionizing the workplace. In a June 23 email, the organizations invited their “comrades” to a virtual meeting, posing questions such as “Are you looking for a job?” and “Do you want intensive organizing training?” They then emphasized “that it is the right time” to engage in “SALTING” — the act of intentionally taking a job at a workplace with the goal of unionizing. The meeting — called “Salting Information Session” — was held on Thursday (June 29) where organizers covered the basics of salting and union organizing; why socialists should salt; and how socialists are currently salting in Connecticut (but they did not specify where).
Potential rail union strike could shut down Metro-North this fall
July 11, 2023 // The union said trains cannot function without inspectors, which means a potential strike could disrupt the commute of many Metro-North Railroad riders. In a recent tweet, the TWU of America said the vote to approve a strike upon release from mediation was nearly unanimous. The tweet also said, “Make no mistake, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is on a strike trajectory at the nation's second largest commuter rail system."
Commentary: To Unions, Organizing Time Is Fine When It’s on the Taxpayers’ Dime
June 29, 2023 // Despite public sector unions, and particularly teachers’ unions like Weingarten’s American Federation for Teachers, facing mounting scrutiny for their role in school closures and broader left-wing political activism, the practice of release time has garnered little attention.
Connecticut Public Sector Union Membership in Two-Year Decline
June 22, 2023 // Labor also benefitted after Connecticut legalized marijuana use by adults in 2021, as the legislation included a provision requiring retailers to obtain a labor peace agreement with a union before being awarded a license. Labor peace agreements are contracts made between an employer and a labor union with the former agreeing not to undermine the latter’s ability to organize the workforce in exchange for the union not to strike, picket or disrupt the employer’s business. Lawmakers always have the option of hiding labor bills in a budget as they did this past session by requiring grocery stores established in food deserts to enter into a labor peace agreement with a union in order to receive municipal tax abatements. Labor unions possess an inherent organizational and financial framework that grants them significant power in identifying candidates, mobilizing voters and promoting individuals who align with their interests, while having the necessary financial resources to achieve these objectives.
Biden’s rally with union workers will mark first big event of his 2024 campaign
June 19, 2023 // Several of the nation’s most powerful unions — including the AFL-CIO, American Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees — officially endorsed Biden’s campaign on Friday. The first-of-its-kind joint endorsement among the unions and the backdrop of hundreds of workers are part of a meticulously choreographed effort to show the support of labor behind what Biden himself calls the most pro-union president in history.
These long-term care workers in CT didn’t get the wages they wanted. Will their strike continue?
June 16, 2023 // "The union wanted to preserve its right to strike again next year," Simon said. "We felt as though the agency, our clients, the people we serve, the students, the parents, had all gone through enough trauma. And so we did not want to give the right to strike again next year." Simon said the state budget provided enough money to pay the workers $18.45 per hour, but Oak Hill extended an offer of $18.50 and an "enhanced" retirement package, but the union did not accept the offer. While the workers have been on strike, temp workers and members of the Oak Hill administration team have been staffing the facilities, costing the company "probably $150,000 more a day" above normal operating costs, according to Simon. Oak Hill negotiations have proven to be especially sticky, according to Oak Hill CEO Barry Simon. After nearly eight hours of talks, negotiations between Oak Hill and the union stalled. Of the 1,700 workers who were on strike, 700 are from Oak Hill. The others are spread between Mosaic, Whole Life, Network, Caring Community and Alternative Services, Inc.
Op-ed – New York: Lawmakers pass bill banning ‘captive audience’ meetings
June 14, 2023 // “Employers have become much more aggressive in using captive audience meetings to force workers into hearing the employer’s one-sided propaganda on unionization and other issues,” Appelbaum said in a statement following the legislation’s passage. “These meetings often leave workers feeling pressured and intimidated. It is time that the law catches up to the reality of the moment by allowing workers to refuse to attend these meetings without fear of retaliation.” Three states, Connecticut, Oregon and, most recently, Minnesota have banned the meetings. After the Connecticut ban passed, a coalition of U.S companies led by the U.S Chamber of Commerce sued the state in federal court, arguing that the law is preempted by the National Labor Relations Act and that it breached employers First Amendment-protected freedom of speech.
Hartford teachers union denied arbitration in grievance case
June 13, 2023 // Grande contends that he did nothing wrong. In an op-ed published by the Hartford Courant, Grande says that following an online training about “Identity & Privilege,” he was assigned to a breakout room with several other teachers and asked to give his opinion. “So I gave it, honestly and professionally,” Grande wrote. “Apparently because I disagreed with the training’s implications, two teachers complained. Months later the administration informed me I was under investigation,” Grande wrote. Grande says he was issued a written reprimand and required to undergo further sensitivity training under threat of termination. Grande had been a HFT union member most of his career and says he helped negotiate contracts but resigned from the union in 2018.
