News

AFSCME President Lee Saunders praised the White House’s announcement Thursday that the Biden administration will forgive student loans for an additional 78,000 borrowers — including many AFSCME mem

AFSCME President Lee Saunders congratulated Nicole Berner, a longtime labor lawyer and general counsel of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), on being 

Mark your calendars for the biennial Council 4 Conference, April 5-7, 2019 at the Mystic Marriot in Groton, CT.

We've got a busy and informative weekend planned. Highlights include workshops, our Member Recognition Dinner and our Women's Committee Gift Basket Charity Auction, which will benefit Safe Futures of New London, a shelter that helps victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse.

Feb. 19, 2019: Leaders of the State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) issued this response to Gov. Lamont's proposal to reduce future pension benefits:

Governor Lamont will deliver his first proposed budget to the General Assembly February 20th. In advance of that, union leaders, frontline workers – including an AFSCME Council 4 member – and community allies held a press conference on Feb. 11 urging him to reject years of austerity measures that have devastated working families.

They called on him to take a high road approach to build an economy that works for everyone.

A pension is more than a promise to current and future retired workers. It’s a great way to attract and retain workers to public service. Just ask State Parole Officer James Long of AFSCME Local 1565 (NP-4 Department of Correction Bargaining Unit).

“A defined benefit plan is a much better retirement tool than a defined contribution plan,” he says. “It’s one of the main benefits that attracted to me public service.” 

LAS VEGAS — More than 160 AFSCME members gathered in Las Vegas last week to lift up the voice of public service workers and move our union forward.  

At the AFSCME Volunteer Member Organizer Rise Up conference, VMOs from around the country attended skill-building training sessions and visited Nevada state employees to share the vision of improving the quality of public services and the lives of those who provide those services. 

Council 4 and other labor organizations are making it clear it’s time for the Commission on Fiscal Stability Economic Growth to move on after its privately-funded attacks on working people and collective bargaining failed to gain legislative session in 2018.

A federal court has ruled in favor of working families and against wealthy special interests in Danielson v. AFSCME Council 28, a case out of Washington state.  

Council 4 will be collecting new, unused and unwrapped toys, and gift cards  through December 13, 2018.

We will donate toys and gift cards to the United Labor Agency, which helps Connecticut’s working families in need. (If you’d like to make a monetary contribution, please make your check payable to the United Labor Agency.)

All locals, individual members and employees of Council 4 who wish to participate in this effort may bring donations to Council 4 in New Britain.