Connecticut People Before Profits

No Kings Protesters Choose Human Needs Not War!

noreply@blogger.com (Joelle Fishman) — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 19:35:00 +0000

The crowds in Connecticut for No Kings III were larger and more diverse. More families and young people came out, wanting to have a voice against the illegal war on Iran, ICE raids and soaring billionaire profits while families struggle to make ends meet.

At the No Kings III rally on the New Haven Green the Greater New Haven Peace Council placed a banner on two tables with a large bar graph showing where this administration has allocated tax dollars. The bar for war and weapons towered above all the others.

Each person who came by the table was asked to put their initials in the column where they would like their money to be spent. A stream of people were eager to sign. Given an opportunity to tell their Congressmembers where they want their taxes to go they chose YES to Health. Education. Agriculture. Clean Water. And NO to War and Weapons.

The chart showed the 2026 US federal budget. The bars indicated the amounts of money federal government departments get. Each person was asked to write their initials above three departments where they’d like their taxes to go. A petition to stop the wars and stop funding the wars was made available addressed to the Connecticut Congressional delegation.

There was plenty of discussion at that table. The very diverse crowd preferred to put their taxes into • Agriculture, • Commerce, Justice and Science, • Energy and Clean Water, • Interior and Environment, • Health, Education and Labor, and • Transporation, Housing and Urban Development by an infinite amount over the Weapons and War of the Pentagon (zero votes).

When the march through New Haven began, the bar chart became a banner in the march.

Demand Grows to Tax the Rich in CT

noreply@blogger.com (Joelle Fishman) — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 17:11:00 +0000

Working class families across Connecticut are facing economic crisis from the Trump / MAGA cuts in healthcare and human services, being imposed so the ultra wealthy can get even more tax cuts.

The demand is being placed on the state legislature and Governor to secure that $1 billion for the public good and enable people's needs to be met.

Hundreds of working people, students and immigrant communities have been making their voices heard at the state capitol this session in support of the Fair Share Stand Up Connecticut Agenda of Connecticut for All demanding action to end the extreme inequalities in this state.

Those demands will also be present at the 50 No Kings III rallies in Connecticut.

The Fair Share Agenda is focused on securing $1 billion to cover the cuts inflicted by the Trump administration in the coming year, and then to democratize the tax structure ongoing so the ultra wealthy pay their fair share.

The coalition is also demanding an increase in protections for immigrant communities by establishing protected sites where ICE cannot enter including schools, hospitals and places of worship.

This movement in Connecticut is not alone. A national Take On Wall St coalition of labor and community groups is organizing in states across the country.

The Tax Wall St campaign emphasizes that, “As Trump and congressional Republicans slash federal funding, states are increasingly the last line of defense for working people. The lesson is clear: fair taxes curb concentrations of wealth, fund services we all rely on, and strengthen democracy itself.”.

They cite Connecticut as an example of the growing movement:

“In Connecticut, unions for public employees, nurses, and educators have joined with community groups to press lawmakers to raise taxes on millionaires and reform capital gains taxation. Advocates are calling for new revenues to strengthen public schools, expand health care access, invest in aging infrastructure, and provide real property tax relief for working families.”

Organizing is increasing to demand the legislature and Governor respond to the emergency facing the majority of people in our state and act before the end of session in May.

State Workers Demand Fair Contracts and Public Services

noreply@blogger.com (Joelle Fishman) — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 00:36:00 +0000

Nearly 600 state workers from across Connecticut gathered at the Legislative Office Building last week with a blunt message for Governor Lamont and his agency chiefs: stop delaying fair contracts and start investing in the public workforce that deliver “The Connecticut Difference.”

Representing workers across 35 bargaining units in the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC), speakers said Connecticut cannot keep promising strong public services while failing to fully fund and support the people who deliver them every day. They committed to securing fair and honorable contracts for the full workforce to deliver the services all residents depend on.

From public colleges and universities to public health labs and environmental agencies, workers said the state’s delays and under investment are making it harder to recruit and retain staff, putting essential public services at risk.

Speakers said when politicians in Washington, DC shut down, elected leaders in Connecticut must step up, stressing that fair contracts are not only a labor issue; they are a public issue.

“As a teacher in the state’s career technical education system, I see ‘The Connecticut Difference’ we make in our students’ lives every single day,” said Makenzi Hurtado, president of the State Vocational Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 4200A. “But that difference does not sustain itself. The state must recruit, retain, and reinvest in the workforce that serves the public.”

Terrell Thigpen, a third-year student at Central Connecticut State University, said students are paying the price for the state’s failure to invest at the level public higher education needs.

“Students are told education matters,” said Thigpen. “But I went from a high school that couldn’t afford books to an underfunded state university that refuses to support its staff. If Connecticut is serious about opportunity, it has to invest in the people and institutions that make that opportunity real.”

Healthcare workers expressed frustration with the toll lack of staffing takes. Saleena White, a Child Services Worker said “Being mandated to work back-to-back shifts, facing exhaustion leads to staff calling out and even quitting their job, sometimes on a weekly basis.”

Youth Voices Stress Collective Unity and Organizing at 52nd Black History Month Event

noreply@blogger.com (Joelle Fishman) — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:03:00 +0000

By Jahmal Henderson

The historic People’s Center was filled to capacity during the 52nd annual People’s World Black History Month event. Youth and community members gathered to honor the theme: “DEFEND CIVIL RIGHTS! Unity in the Fight for Our Future”

As guests arrived, they were greeted by the recording of Paul Robeson's historic performance at Carnegie Hall in 1958. Host Mary Thigpen said that during the Jim Crow era, when Black history was deliberately excluded from school curriculums, historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded Negro History Week in February 1926, later expanded into Black History Month.

In tribute to the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, she recalled the ten day “Rebuild America Keep Hope Alive” march across Connecticut in August 1991, beginning at Bridgeport East End’s “Mount Trashmore” and ending at the state capitol in Hartford with more than 2,000 people.

This year’s arts and writing competition for grades 8 through 12 showcased a wide range of impressive submissions of poetry, art, and essay which drew connections between the 65^th anniversary of the freedom rides and today’s fight against fascism and for civil rights along with honoring the brave legacy of Paul Robeson, acclaimed artist and activist who risked everything to advance racial justice, civil liberties and peace.. Every participant received a certificate and copy of Paul Robeson’s book "Here I Stand".

First place artwork “Turn the Volume Up” by Emilia DiPippo from Wilbur Cross High School explores how the civil rights movement shaped her identity and the life she is able to lead today.

Jaylee Pimental of Wilbur Cross High School's first place essay titled “Freedom Was Earned, Not Given,” explained that the civil rights movement was about far more than changing laws. Ordinary people marched, protested, and risked everything because they were tired of being treated unfairly due to their skin color. She emphasized “Justice is not just for one group, its for everyone".

Diana Robles from High School in the Community delivered her poem “When We Fight We Win,” while Japhet Gonzalez performed “17,” a heartfelt dedication to the young freedom fighters of the 1960s whose sacrifices fuel his commitment to activism.

Sound School student Journey Rosa earned the first-place poetry award with her powerful piece “Inheritance is a Verb.” that concludes “progress is not permanent unless we make it so.”

An 8th grade student shared his essay about the terrifying story of a young family member that witnessed his parents being taken away by ICE. The story exposed the trauma that many immigrant families are facing. The story concluded, "It’s so unfair to see how families are torn apart, and especially by a leader that doesn’t even know about history. Most of America was built off of immigrants, and getting rid of those immigrants is like removing the legs of a chair.”

The ceremony then shifted to a youth panel discussion moderated by Arita Acharya, Secretary Treasurer of Unite Here Local 33 . The conversation brought together two high school students, Brandon Daley of Metropolitan Business Academy and the Citywide Youth Coalition, and Melody Yunga of Wilbur Cross High School and CT Students for a Dream. They reflected on their activism in today's fight for equality where youth activism is being attacked by MAGA.

Daley spoke of organizing students to testify before the education committee at the state capitol for an increase in public school funding. Yunga called for participation in a public hearing before the Judiciary Committee to expand protections for immigrant communities from the undemocratic terror being perpetrated by ICE around the country.

Acharya raised demands that Yale University, with its 40 billion endowment, give transformative funding to meet needs of public education, good jobs and housing in the largely Black and Latino City of New Haven.

Stephanie Deceus led the People’s World fund appeal, highlighting the daily news platform’s importance to the labor-led people’s movement and the need for continued support to keep it thriving. $2,000 was raised.

Eric Brooks, the evening’s special guest speaker was introduced by Connecticut CPUSA organizer Jahmal Henderson. Brooks addressed the current climate in the country, emphasizing the continued fight for democracy and freedom for Black communities. He referenced 1619 to draw attention to the nation’s origins in slavery and the lasting impact of racial inequality today.

He also spoke about MAGAS rollback of key civil rights protections, stressing that recent executive orders, including the removal of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs across federal agencies.

Throughout his remarks, he underscored the urgency of mobilizing against policies viewed as harmful to minority communities, civil rights, and democratic rights. Eric also stressed that the resistance will require grassroots organizing, collective unity, and political engagement in order to achieve real, lasting change in this country.

As the festivities concluded, participants gathered in a drum circle, where both attendees and youth played powerful rhythms symbolizing unity and strength.

Hundreds Demand Protections for Immigrant Communities

noreply@blogger.com (Joelle Fishman) — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 21:48:06 +0000

Hundreds of students, educators, advocates and clergy testified for 11 hours before the Judiciary Committee of the State Legislature in support of bills to establish protective areas including places of worship, medical facilities, schools and playgrounds, where law enforcement including ICE would be barred from carrying out arrests without a judicial warrant signed by a judge.

Examples of ICE terrorizing communities in Minnesota and other states were cited as the reason state protections are needed, in case such federal actions were unleashed in Connecticut.

The measures would enhance the existing Connecticut Trust Act and establish policy at the state level that was erased at the national level under the Trump Department of Homeland Security.

Many young people described how hard it is to live in constant fear of being kidnapped without reason. Teachers told of students afraid to come to school not knowing if they or their parents would be taken away. Experiences of missing important medical appointments were shared.

Along with Connecticut Students for a Dream (C4D) and Husky 4 Immigrants, the entire Connecticut for All coalition organized testimonies including SEIU, AFT, Make the Road and ACLU.

Judiciary Committee chair Sen. Gary Winfield conducted the hearing, inviting questions from his colleagues after each speaker. Republican lawmakers challenged the testimonies claiming these policies would protect criminals. Speakers emphasized that the bill is necessary to protect the constitutional rights of all residents in the current national climate.

Recalling her family's experience of being hounded and discriminated against during the 1950s McCarthyite repression, Joelle Fishman, representing the CT Communist Party USA, recounted working in the civil rights movement to end lynchings and terror against African American people. Asking “Are we going to defend and expand civil rights for all? Or are we going to go down the path of repression and fascism with all the harmful lived consequences for our communities, state and nation?” she called upon the Judiciary Committee to pass the bills and play its role.

Accountability language was urged so anyone wrongfully detained in protected locations could challenge that detention and seek relief.

Students Testify for Education Funding

noreply@blogger.com (Joelle Fishman) — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 14:33:00 +0000

Public school students and their teachers from eleven municipalities traveled to Hartford on Wednesday to testify before the Education Committee of the State Legislature about the dire need to increase the school funding formula.

Three busloads carrying 117 students from schools across New Haven were accompanied by Mayor Justin Elicker.

“It's a packed house of union members, educators, students, coalition partners, elected officials and faith leaders at the CT State Legislative Zoffice Building to protect our kids and fix the formula,” reported NHFT President Leslie Blatteau. “On this March 4, in partnership with the American federation of Teachers and AFT Connecticut locals across the state and country, we demand Fully and Fairly Funded Schools NOW.”

“The state per pupil ECS funding foundation amount has not increased since 2013. Want to know what has increased over the last 13 years? EVERYTHING ELSE,” said art teacher Melody Gallagher. “It is time for the state of CT to fix the ECS formula. As costs for services, supplies and everything else has gone up, this flat funding has translated into underfunding.”

In solidarity with the delegation testifying at the state capitol, classroom teachers in New Haven are wearing FIX THE FORMULA stickers.

Teachers and students were joined by organizations in the Connecticut for All coalition who testified in support of SB 7 for increased public school funding. to ensure the needs of students in the state are met. Speakers declared, “Now is the time to Fix the Formula - specifically the Foundation Aid amount of $11,525, which has remained the same since 2013.”

Had the formula’s foundation kept pace with inflation, it would be approximately $16,000 per student today. Legislators were urged to increase the foundation aid amount to $16,525 in Fiscal Year 2027 and then index it to inflation moving forward.

Testimonies called for the ultra wealthy and corporations to pay their fair share to make it possible to deliver on the promise of public education for all of Connecticut's children.

Court Victory Protects Captive Audience Law

noreply@blogger.com (Joelle Fishman) — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 03:35:00 +0000

A major court victory for workers was won last week upholding Connecticut's “captive audience” law that protects workers against employer intimidation when organizing into unions. A federal district court judge dismissed the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA) and U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s challenge to the law.

“This federal court decision is a major victory for working people across Connecticut” said Connecticut AFL-CIO president Ed Hawthorne.

“This law ensures that workers can make their own decisions about forming a union without fear of employer intimidation and harassment. Far too often, when workers attempt to form a union, management used to be able to force workers to attend closed-door captive audience meetings where they would frequently threaten business closures, wage cuts, layoffs, and more,” he said, adding “No employer should be able to force a worker to attend a meeting to coerce their opinions on religion, politics, or union organizing. And no worker should fear retaliation simply for exercising their right to join a union.

Hawthorne appreciated the work of Attorney General William Tong “for standing up to powerful business interests and defending workers from being forced into captive audience meetings. As worker protections are eroded at the federal level, it's critical to have a champion for working people.”

After years of organizing by the labor movement, in 2022 the State Legislature enacted the bill giving workers the right to leave employer mandated meetings and return to work when the subject is about an employer’s politics, religion or union organizing.

CBIA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce filed a federal lawsuit challenging the statute.

U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley dismissed the case last week, finding that CBIA's First Amendment rights to speak to its employees are not impacted by the law.

“Workers should not be forced to listen to their employer’s religious or political views—including anti-union rhetoric. Connecticut’s captive audience statute is both lawful and necessary, and the Office of the Attorney General will continue to defend the state’s ability to protect workers’ rights,” said Tong, greeting the decision.

"A train wreck for public higher education”: Students and workers demand Connecticut fund its colleges

noreply@blogger.com (Joelle Fishman) — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 03:32:00 +0000

Students, faculty, and campus workers gathered at the state Capitol this week under the banner of Fund Our Dreams, calling on lawmakers to reject Gov. Ned Lamont’s proposed higher education budget and make real investments in Connecticut’s public colleges and universities.

In a press conference at the Legislative Office Building as lawmakers begin deliberations this session, speakers were flanked by supporters holding signs “Gov. Lamont Failing Our Students – Fund Higher Education.”

Speaker after speaker warned that years of underfunding have created a crisis across the state’s higher education system — from community colleges to state universities and UConn — harming students, workers, and the broader economy.

Lisa Calabrese. the campus enrollment supervisor at Connecticut State Naugatuck Valley, and leader in the 4Cs union, said “Governor Lamont is a train wreck for our public higher education institutions: Connecticut colleges, Charter Oak State College, our four state universities, UConn, and UConn Health.”

“There has been a ripple effect on our workforce, our economy, and our state,” she added. “Faculty, staff, and students oppose Governor Lamont’s proposed budget for CSCU, UConn, and UConn Health because it fails to make the necessary investments in our institutions, our students, and our state.”

Students described campuses pushed past capacity, where lack of funding is happening while enrollment is rising, harming educational quality and student well-being.

Heritha Subramanian. Student body vice president at the University of Connecticut, Storrs said. “It is no secret that education in Connecticut is overwhelmed and underfunded.”

As state and federal funding has declined, she explained, UConn has increased enrollment and recruitment to compensate. “Unfortunately, our school does not have the resources to meet the needs of our students.”

“I often hear from students who have never met with their advisor because it is difficult to get a hold of them,” she said. “At UConn, advisors have caseloads of up to 655 students per advisor, while the national average for four-year institutions is 286.”

The consequences affect classroom learning. “Higher enrollment levels have led tolarger class sizes, and it is clear this is burdensome for everyone involved,” Subramanian said. “Faculty are being asked to do too much with too little time and too little assistance, while students fade and disengage — becoming one of hundreds rather than being supported to succeed.”

Cynthia Stretch, a union leader and professor at Southern Connecticut State University, said "endless cuts" to part-time faculty have resulted in slashing the course options available to students.

Organizers testified that Connecticut’s higher education crisis is not inevitable, calling it the result of political decisions that prioritize tax breaks and austerity over public investment.

“Public higher education is a public good,” speakers said. “When we underfund it, we deepen inequality, weaken our workforce, and undermine democracy itself.”

"Connecticut has the resources to do better. What we need is the political will." said Valerie Duffy, a professor at UConn and president of Uconn-AAUP. "The strain on higher education is not a failure of our students or our faculty and staff. It is a result of policy choices,"

The Fund Our Dreams coalition is calling on legislators to: increase base funding for public higher education, stop tuition and fee hikes, restore faculty and staff positions and invest in advising, mental health, and student support services

As budget negotiations continue at the Capitol, organizers made clear they are not backing down.

“This is about our future,” one speaker said. “And we are here to demand that Connecticut fund our dreams — not dismantle them.”

The demand to “Fund Our Dream” is part of the Stand Up Connecticut legislative agenda of the Connecticut for All coalition. At a February 7 press conference, The 4 C's community college union president Seth Freeman said, “We are here to demand that Governor Lamont and every elected state legislator STAND-UP, meet the moment, and protect the residents and families of Connecticut. We are here to demand that elected leaders fight for working-class families and fight against the Trump billionaire agenda.”

Expand Just Cause Eviction Protections

noreply@blogger.com (Joelle Fishman) — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 04:16:00 +0000

Leaders from Connecticut’s tenant movement including 44 organizations, and the co-chairs of the state legislature's Housing Committee Sen. Martha Marx and Rep. Antonio Felipe, launched a campaign to expand Just Cause eviction protection at a Capitol press conference. The message was clear: we want Just Cause now.

Speakers described their experiences, data on the state’s housing crisis, the potential impact of Just Cause on mitigating that crisis, the content of this year’s bill, and the political conditions shaping the campaign.

Just Cause requires landlords to provide a justification for an eviction — grounds for which are listed in state law — and protects tenants without a lease or who are month-to-month from being asked to move out or evicted for no reason.

For over 40 years, Connecticut has had Just Cause eviction protections for tenants who are 62 and over or who are disabled and live in complexes with five or more units. However, most renters are not covered, and landlords can refusing to renew a lease or file an eviction without justification, even if the tenant pays rent on time and does everything “right.”

The existing law has provided greater housing stability for the most vulnerable populations, and tenants are asking the state to expand those protections.

The problems facing tenants in Connecticut are dire: over 15,759 Connecticut households have been evicted without cause between 2017 and 2024. One in 20 renter households now face eviction, and Connecticut has some of the highest eviction rates in the country, disproportionately impacting Black and Latino tenants.

Expanding Just Cause would prevent an estimated 11% of eviction filings and countless forced moves. Just Cause does not impact other for-cause grounds for eviction including, for example, nonpayment of rent, lease violations, or nuisance. Just Cause protects tenants from landlords who use no-fault evictions to gentrify complexes — eroding existing affordable housing — or to intimidate, retaliate, or discriminate against tenants. It is a cost-free, effective solution to help create safe, stable, and affordable housing by preventing displacement and housing insecurity, said the coalition.

'Health Justice NOW' Demand Amid Federal Cuts

noreply@blogger.com (Joelle Fishman) — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 23:50:00 +0000

The Health Justice NOW Campaign held a press conference calling on the State Legislature and Governor to protect health coverage, extend access to affordable care, and ensure all Connecticut residents can get the quality car they need without fear or barriers.

The statewide organizations said they came together “as federal cuts to Medicaid have harmed immigrant and working-class families, stripping health coverage from thousands and driving up health care costs for everyone.”

Led by Connecticut Citizen Action Group, Universal Health Care Foundation of CT, HUSKY 4 Immigrants coalition, Health Equity Solutions, and Connecticut for All, the campaign demanded state leaders “step up and ensure every one of us has access to quality, affordable health care.”

Demands include that premium and other out of pocket costs meet affordability standards, controlled provider rates, minimizing the risk of medical debt, insurance coverage of essential health benefits, and raising revenue to support these goals.

Tom Swan, CCAG director said the campaign is “dedicated to having Connecticut meet this moment and guarantee everyone access to quality affordable healthcare.” He emphasized that Trump's HR 1 bill “has created turmoil with more havoc to come. Medicare cuts alone put over 180,000 Connecticut residents at risk of losing coverage.”

He added that, “thousands of healthcare workers could potentially lose their jobs and healthcare facilities are at risk of closure particularly in rural communities.”

Betty Buras, a student at the Yale School of Medicine and the law clinic said, “During this political climate, immigrants’ rights and health care are being attacked. When people don’t have access to healthcare, there are worse outcomes. We have to make sure everyone has access to healthcare.”

“The amount of Medicare taxes undocumented immigrants pay is more than the top 55 corporations in America,” said State Senator Saud Anwar,”. The corporations are getting a free ride while the undocumented immigrants are being taxed.”

“The federal government is subsidizing the healthcare for these largest corporations,” he said. Those who say resources have been taken by the immigrants is far from the truth. They are wrong.”

Connecticut Tenants Union launches boycott of real estate giant

noreply@blogger.com (Joelle Fishman) — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 21:42:09 +0000

By Louis Henry

The Connecticut Tenants Union and its working-class allies have launched a boycott of Alpha Capital. In a petition to support the boycott, the Tenants Union is calling on all people to refuse to engage in business with Alpha Capital. Refuse to rent apartments, refuse to buy condos, refuse to sell or buy properties with this horrible landlord, they say.

Over the last year, tenant unions in Southeast Connecticut have gone public, demanding that their landlord, Alpha Capital Funds, come to the table to negotiate fair leases and address tenant needs. In response, Alpha is trying to bust organized, multi-racial, and multi-generational communities.

Tenant Union representatives from New London and East Lyme assembled alongside their working-class allies to announce the boycott and to explain why this next stage of struggle is necessary.

Landlord wants $318,000 from each tenant

The Bay Point Tenant Union called on all people to boycott Alpha Capital because that landlord won’t recognize their union, and their homes are at risk of being bought out from under them.

Tonya, a disabled member of the Bay Point Tenant Union, explained that after her tenant union went public over the summer, Alpha Capital responded by trying to convert the apartments to condominiums. Alpha Capital told the residents they would have to pay $318,000 to keep their home, or their unit would be sold off.

Chris, an 82-year-old member of the Bay Point Tenant Union, said he is cold at night because the building is in disrepair and Alpha won’t make repairs.

Judy, a retiree who’s lived in the building for 23 years, told the assembly that “We’re not going to put up with it, we’re being gouged.” She said her union is going to stick together and fight until Alpha Capital CEO Tyler Smith comes to the table to negotiate fair and equitable leases.

The New London Tenant Unions called on all people to boycott Alpha Capital because that landlord will not recognize their union and will not stop trying to evict union members.

Daz, speaking on behalf of the New London tenants, explained that the union was able to protect their members from eviction. When Alpha Capital bought their building, the new landlord immediately sent eviction notices to all of the tenants—half of whom are elderly and disabled. The tenants quickly mobilized to form a union and asserted Connecticut’s law that shields the elderly and disabled from no-fault eviction.

In response to organizing, Alpha violated state law by retaliating against the union members with a demand for 40% rent increases. Again, the union mobilized and filed complaints with the New London Fair Rent Commission. The Fair Rent Commission asserted that tenant organizing is a protected act and Alpha Capital violated the law by retaliating. The Commission ordered rents frozen for the next six months and ordered Alpha to give the tenants new leases.

Community support

Rev. Perry of Mount Olive Church in New London explained that his community is in crisis. The temperature was below freezing, and children and seniors were homeless and suffering on our streets. He said it was important for all moral people to support housing as a human right and to put people before profit.

New London City Councilwoman Shineika Fareus explained that the eviction and homelessness crisis in Connecticut is not an accident. She said mega-landlords like Alpha Capital are violating our human rights by treating housing as a commodity.

Commenting on Alpha’s behavior, she said, “Eviction is not a development tool, it’s displacement.” She said working-class power exists. She called on working people to join the boycott and that collective bargaining is a form of racial and disability justice.

State Representative Nick Gauthier spoke in solidarity with the Connecticut Tenants Union and joining the boycott against Alpha Capital. He said private equity firms harm humanity. He called for a ban on private equity in housing and healthcare.

State Representative Dan Gaiewski also spoke in support of joining the boycott and supporting the Union. He said it was his job to support tenant organizing by passing Just Cause legislation that would protect all tenants from arbitrary eviction.

In her closing remarks, CT Tenants Union President Hannah Srajer held up ten feet of paper bearing hundreds of signatures of people who have already signed the petition to Boycott Alpha Capital. She spoke into the cameras and said for the last six years the CT Tenants Union has been organizing to put people before corporate greed.

“We pay the bills,” she said, explaining that Alpha Capital needs working people to pay their rents, to buy their condos, to do business with their company, in order to continue to service their predatory loans and mortgages. If working people can put a dent in Alpha Capital’s income, they can bring Alpha Capital to its knees. “The people will win, the boycott has begun!”

‘Stand Up For CT’ Agenda Launched

noreply@blogger.com (Joelle Fishman) — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 22:02:00 +0000

Union and community leaders and elected officials joined with Connecticut for All at a capitol press conference to launch the “Stand Up CT” agenda as the Legislative Session begins. Action is urgent, they said, to help fill the critical funding gaps brought on by cuts in H.R. 1 President Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’, and to protect the freedoms of multi-racial working class and immigrant residents.

The agenda would require the small number of ultra wealthy residents and corporations, who have received more than $1 trillion in tax breaks through H.R. 1, to pay a comparable share of their income in taxes as that paid by the vast majority of Connecticut families.

The “Stand Up CT” agenda would re-balance the state’s upside-down tax system, protect against Trump cuts and policies, and allow the legislature to mitigate harms to the publicly-funded safety net, providing stability for working families. The package of bills will raise hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

Connecticut for All was joined by impacted speakers from SEIU 4Cs, CT Tenants Union, CT Students for a Dream, SEIU 1199, AFT Connecticut, She Leads Justice, Greater Hartford Interfaith Action Alliance, a small business owner, State Rep Jason Doucette from the Tax Equity Caucus of 52 legislators, and State Senator Gary Winfield chair of the Judiciary Committee,.

“The choice really is simple. We can either meet the needs of working Connecticut families, or we can continue to leave money on the table by refusing to fix the fiscal controls and make the ultra-wealthy and corporations pay their fair share.,” said Connecticut For All Director Norma Martinez HoSang.

“Passing the Stand Up CT legislative agenda means finally prioritizing the hardworking people of Connecticut who keep this state running – the health care workers who kept us safe throughout the pandemic, the teachers who pay for school supplies out of their own pockets, the bus drivers who take us where we need to go, the youth who need a chance for a better future they can afford – over a handful of wealthy and well-connected families.”

CT Must Offset Federal Cuts to Public Benefits

noreply@blogger.com (Joelle Fishman) — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 03:07:00 +0000

Connecticut Voices for Children's new report, The Case and Policy Options for Connecticut to Offset New Federal Cuts to Public Benefits, was released to a crowded room of advocates and organizers at the 25th Tax & Budget Forum.

The report examined how the state’s fiscal controls and tax structure are hurting working class families by limiting sustained, meaningful investments in human needs. The report emphasized how Connecticut can move from temporary fixes to long-term policy choices that make affordability real and fully fund communities being devastated by the MAGA “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” enacted last July.

This Act provides tax cuts that heavily benefit high-income households. Those with incomes above $500,000 a year are estimated to receive 33% of the total tax cut, amounting to $1.5 trillion over the next decade.

The law pays for the tax cuts for high-income households by making about $1.5 trillion in cuts to public benefits, reducing essential support for low- and middle-income households. This includes nearly $1.1 trillion in cuts to health care benefits, including Medicaid; allowing a more than $300 billion expansion of the Premium Tax Credit for health insurance to expire; and cutting food assistance by about $190 billion.

At least150,000 people in Connecticut are expected to lose health insurance and 58,000 households are expected to have food assistance cut. At the same time, the top 10% of households are estimated to gain more than $9,200 each.

The report presented five policy proposals that would make it possible to address these extreme and devastating inequities including raising tax rates on high-income households (single tax filers above $500,000, and married tax filers above $1 million) or high-value estates (worth more than $15 million).

Together, the policy proposals would raise close to $500 million a year, providing resources for Connecticut to close the gap left by the cruel federal cuts to human needs.

Advocates are demanding that in these dire circumstances the Legislature and Governor stand up for the people of Connecticut in this session and make sure that basic needs are funded to address health care, housing, hunger and growing poverty.

Boycott forces Avelo to End Deportation Flights

noreply@blogger.com (Joelle Fishman) — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 07:09:00 +0000

A major victory was won last week when Avelo Airlines announced they are ending their contract to conduct deportation flights for ICE with DHS. On January 27 they will leave Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona, where the flights departed.

Last April when news of the ICE flights surfaced in New Haven, outraged immigrant rights groups, state and local elected officials and clergy launched the boycott. It spread across the country and soon Avelo ws forced to end west coast flights.

Avelo claimed they contracted with DHS for financial reasons. The boycott showed that trying to profit from deportations and family separation does not pay off.

The New Haven boycott against it's “hometown airline” at Tweed New Haven airport was soon joined by 25 cities.

During a national day of protest last May, one of many vigils at the entrance to the New Haven airport was led by the New Haven Immigrants Coalition “to mourn and stay in solidarity with those who have been and will be removed without due process.”

A New Hampshire resident purchased two billboards near the airport saying “Does your vacation support their deportation? Just say AvelNO!”

The mayor of New Haven banned all business with the airline for City travel, as did the Wilmington, Delaware City Council

Attorney General William Tong began investigating Avelo's fuel tax break with the State. Upon hearing of the company's break with DHS Tong said, “If this means that Avelo is no longer electing to profit from Trump’s cruel and reckless deportation program, the separation of families, deportation of children and citizens, and denial of due process rights, then it’s about time.”

At a New Haven press conference attended by over 100 the day after the announcement, Kica Matos president of the National Immigration Law Center declared,“We organized, we protested, we boycotted, and we said we would not stop until Avelo stopped being complicit in human suffering. Today, we celebrate. Let this be a reminder that when we fight, we win.”

The rally also protested the cold blooded murder of Rene Good by an ICE official in Minnesota.

Yale: Pay Your Fair Share

noreply@blogger.com (Joelle Fishman) — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 07:06:00 +0000

by Rev. Scot Marks

As Yale and the City of New Haven negotiate a revenue agreement in the coming year, we must work towards a transformational investment in the city that gives all our residents opportunities.

In 2024 New Haven gave a $106 million tax break to Yale and Yale New Haven Hospital. With that money we could have hired 600 teachers, built three community centers and helped 100 families get into permanent housing.

$106 million is everything to New Haven, especially our children – and it's just 2% of what Yale's endowment made in the last year alone.

I arrived in New Haven in 1964, escaping the racial and economic exploitation of the North Carolina sharecropping system keeping families like mine impoverished.

In New Haven we met its own long story of racial and economic exploitation. The American Eugenics Society on Yale's campus led the country in establishing pseudo scientific theories that helped justify segregated development in New Haven.

Yale used the labor of enslaved people to build the campus's first building and its leaders crushed what would have been the country's first HBCU.

In a moment when a federal administration is attacking US cities, censoring our country's racist history and giving more to billionaires while we suffer from a cost of living crisis, Yale must join our community and city as partners in confronting its own history and the detrimental impact on many of our residents.

New Haven should have world class schools. Instead our schools badly need repair, our teachers are underpaid and overworked, and our classrooms are overcrowded. All this while our city hosts one of the best and wealthiest educational institutions in the world.

Our movement led the way in getting Yale to increase its voluntary payment to New Haven before. This July that contribution will drop from an annual $10 million to $2 million, and to $0 the following year. And it is not enough for Yale to renew – it is time to expand. It took over 10,000 people taking action for the last commitment and now we need to redouble our efforts.

Working Class Unity Inspires the Crowd at People's World Amistad Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Joelle Fishman) — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 08:56:00 +0000

By Jahmal Henderson

Solidarity in the resistance movement and celebration of collective action created a powerful and inspiring People's World Amistad Awards themed “Working Class Unity to defend our rights and fight for our future.”

On a beautiful winter evening in New Haven, community activists, labor leaders, students, comrades, teachers, elected officials and allies, gathered at the First and Summerfield Church, home to the offices of Unite Here in Connecticut for the 24^th annual People's World Amistad Awards.

That strengthening spirit was immediately felt upon entering the church, where solidarity and African rhythms filled the air, as dancers performed a traditional dance. A beautiful 96 page greeting book helped set the atmosphere.

Adam Waters, president of Unite Here Local 33 of educators at Yale welcomed everyone to “The Ami's” and announced to cheers the majority of post docs have signed cards for union recognition.

Emcees Lisa Bergmann and Ben McManus kicked off the awards with a “Resistance 2025” slideshow highlighting the year's courageous actions, rallies, picket lines, and robust union and coalition solidarity.

An inspiring youth tribute marked the 106th anniversary of the Communist Party USA. The activist youth in their teens, 20s and 30s, some in the Young Communist League, lined up shoulder-to-shoulder to deliver a message of unity and organizing to change the conditions they face and make a better future.

“We pay tribute to the CPUSA, for its vision of equality and justice and its constant example of organizing with many other freedom fighters against fascism and for a better world,” they said to applause. “We step forward unapologetic and unafraid, bending the arc of history toward justice. Building a collective vision of solidarity and humanity and upholding the worth of each of us.”

The first Award was jointly presented to Norma Martinez-HoSang executive director, and Constanza Segovia organizing director, of Connecticut For All. Seth Freeman, a 2024 Awardee and president of the Congress of Connecticut Community Colleges (4Cs) presented the award, praising their leadership of the multi-racial labor community coalition united to end systemic inequalities and build power for racial and economic justice in Connecticut.

Drawing from her life, family, and educational experiences, Norma said that she “learned early on the critical importance of coalition building and fighting together for what people truly deserve”. She said this history is why the awards hold such a special meaning. “This celebration is not about the individual being honored but all the movements in the room committed to freedom and building a world in solidarity, peace and justice.”

Constanza spoke about the profound importance of collective action and being part of the larger movement. She stressed, "The truth is that I’m nothing without all of you here, My work has no place if it’s not surrounded by the hundreds of thousands of workers that are members of our coalition, and I find great joy in that truth.”

IAM Local 700 president Wayne McCarthy received the Award from John Harrity, a 2003 Awardee and former president of the Connecticut State Council of Machinists. He praised Wayne for his leadership, as president at three different Pratt & Whitney plants over the years, and called upon everyone to follow this example and get involved.

After sharing his journey through the labor movement, Wayne detailed the historic 23-days in May strike at Pratt & Whitney that won job security, wage increases and improved benefits. The strike made a national impact defying the all-out attack on labor. He described how the 3,000 machinists stood firm. “Our resolve cannot be broken as the rain and cold weather eventually gave way to sunshine as we continued twenty three days on the picket lines in Middletown and East Hartford,” he said acknowledging his children who are among those members.

The final award was presented by 2024 Awardee and 1199 retiree Maribel Rodriguez to Tabitha Sookdeo, executive director of Connecticut Students For A Dream. Tabitha shared the story of her childhood in Guyana and the obstacles she overcame in the U.S., explaining how she channeled those challenges into powerful advocacy for undocumented youth and their families.

“Let us remember that the vast majority of our community is struggling with the effects of greed and a wave of authoritarianism, both local and global. Let us not be divided by identity, but be brought together by our collective struggle as working class people who simply try to make enough to provide for our children and for our aging parents who somehow continue to have to work as they get older and as wage inequality grows even steeper.”

“May we band together to care for one another as our communities come further under attack,” she said.

A crowd of New Haven students and educators were called forward for recognition “In Solidarity,” with their work for immigration justice by Leslie Blatteau, 2023 Awardee and New Haven teachers union president.

Melony Yuda, a high school leader with CT Students For A Dream, emphasized student activism and the power of speaking out against injustice.

“When young people organize things change, conversations change, policies change, communities change, cause nobody knows what we need better than ourselves ,” she said as gifts of small plants were handed out.

The evening was highlighted with a multi-cultural concert of freedom songs and traditional African dance, performed by Brian Jarawa Gray and Friends.

Scotttesia Marks moved the audience with a beautiful rendition of Sam Cooke’s "A Change Is Gonna Come," followed by a lovely performance of Cambia todo Cambia by Teresa Quintana, an Awardee in 2024.

A powerful enactment of Paul Robeson’s "What is America to Me?" was followed by the event's Call to Action presented by Jahmal Henderson and Lisa Bergmann to a standing ovation.

”We are the multi-racial working class. Our power is in our labor, that creates all wealth, and in our numbers when we are organized. Our vision of equality and working class democracy is our strength.,” said the call.

The People's World Amistad Awards continue to serve as a vital gathering for the movement around the state, strengthening a multiracial, working-class coalition dedicated to defending our rights and transforming our country by prioritizing people, peace, and planet before profits.

Educators Declare Contract Impasse and Demand Real Solutions for Students and Community

noreply@blogger.com (Joelle Fishman) — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 08:49:00 +0000

New Haven — Teachers in New Haven Public Schools called on city leaders Tuesday to resolve the teaching and learning crisis facing their students and families, on the eve of the legally-imposed deadline for a mutual settlement before the matter is referred to arbitration. .

The certified educators and members of the labor-community coalition held a press conference at City Hall to urge Mayor Justin Elicker to embrace the real solutions they’ve proposed for what union members and students need in contract negotiations.

Leaders of the New Haven Federation of Teachers (NHFT) have since late-September been in talks with district representatives to secure a new contract. For months, they have put forward numerous proposals to improve their students’ learning conditions by addressing the root causes of educator recruitment and retention shortfalls.

Many are still outstanding, forcing union leaders to declare impasse, noting that if the mayor does not direct school board representatives to reach a mutual settlement on the outstanding issues by Wednesday evening, a neutral, third-party arbitrator decides the final outcome.

In addition to refusing union members’ reasonable proposals for class sizes, special education supports, healthcare and salaries, city leaders are failing to meet the moment, said the New Haven Federation of Teachers.

The union emphasized that “After months of negotiations, the city leadership's inflexibility threatens to drive hundreds of hardworking educators out of the Elm City’s classrooms and deprive students of the learning opportunities they deserve.”

Tuesday’s impasse announcement follows months of active engagement by hundreds of educators, as well as their students and families, in support of securing a fair, honorable contract. These efforts to boost investments in New Haven public schools’ future by improving student learning have taken place while the city’s fund balance has exceeded $59 million.

The previous week during public comment at the Board of Education meeting, speakers said prioritizing public education must include investments from the City of New Haven alongside continuing pressure to increase state funding. Speakers also emphasized that Yale University has a $44 billion endowment and should be expected to contribute in lieu of taxes enough funds to assure world class public education in New Haven.

Tenants bring their demands to Capital Realty Group in New York

noreply@blogger.com (Joelle Fishman) — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 04:27:00 +0000

Unionized tenants of Capital Realty Group, representing nine properties across six states including two New Haven apartment complexes (Park Ridge Apartments and Sunset Ridge Apartments), traveled to company headquarters in Spring Valley New York for a national action to demand quality housing conditions and a meeting with CEO Moshe Eichler.

The New Haven tenants, members of the CT Tenants Union, traveled to the action by charter bus after having been accosted by Capital Realty Group at two press conferences, one in front of New Haven City Hall where Mayor Elicker expressed support for the tenants' right to unionize.

Capital Realty Group is a New York-based corporate landlord, owns at least 14,000 units of housing across 28 states, and is one of the nation’s largest owners of subsidized housing.

When the tenants arrived, instead of agreeing to meet with them, the corporation paid and directed a counter-protest, harassing and physically assaulting tenant union representatives. One CRG representative snatched signs from union members and physically assaulted at least three tenants; Spring Valley police arrested him.

Police confirmed that the violent counter-protestor group was “there by the invitation of the property owner.”

Despite CRG’s efforts to disrupt, the unions ran their complete program, including announcing a new union at another CRG-owned property, Golden Spike Apartments in Denver, Colorado.

The unions represented at the action were from Kansas City, MO, Lee's Summit, MO, Louisville, KY, billings, MT, Detroit MI, Denver CO and from New Haven Ct. These unions, joined together in the Tenant Union Federation, are organizing in over 1500 units owned by Capital Realty Group.

The Tenant Union Federation issued the following statement:

“Mr. Eichler is desperate. Instead of meeting with his tenants, as they have repeatedly and respectfully requested, he has resorted to union-busting, intimidation, and now– outright abuse. This is evidence that Capital Realty Group is scared of their tenants’ power. Unfortunately for Mr. Eichler, his tactics are entirely ineffective, as the tenants’ organizing continues to expand. The tenants will not be intimidated. Mr. Eichler would be wise to meet the unions at the bargaining table and reach an immediate resolution, before his business suffers any further losses.”

Yale Postdocs, Allies Rally for Union Recognition

noreply@blogger.com (Joelle Fishman) — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 02:27:00 +0000

NEW HAVEN, CT — Hundreds of Yale Postdoctoral Scholars, joined by Local 33, 34, and 35 union members, students, and community allies, rallied before Thanksgiving to call on Yale University to immediately address the growing job insecurity and lack of vital workplace protections facing its Postdoctoral Scholars.

A majority of Yale postdocs have signed union cards and union leaders emphasized the need for Yale commit to a fair and neutral process for union recognition. Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, Connecticut State Senate President Martin Looney, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, and President of the New Haven Board of Alders Tyisha Walker-Myers voiced support for the organizing campaign.

The demonstration, which closed College Street near Yale’s Cross Campus, highlighted the high stakes of postdoctoral research at Yale, citing issues of job precarity, high cost of living, and the need for basic workplace rights.

Claire Laxton, a postdoc in Immunobiology, contrasted Yale’s wealth with the job insecurity she and her coworkers face: "Just a few weeks ago, Yale announced its endowment has grown to over 44 billion dollars. However, instead of using its massive wealth to bridge funding gaps and support all workers during this time, with skyrocketing living costs and federal funding cuts, postdocs are losing their jobs, as if we are disposable. But… We are not disposable!”

Postdoctoral Scholars spoke powerfully about the critical need for workplace protections to provide stability against the backdrop of shifting federal funding and rising costs.

The rally underscored the current two-tiered system on campus, where graduate workers represented by Local 33 have contract protections that postdocs who often work side-by-side with them, lack.

The rally closed with a commitment from all academic workers to stand together and insist that the University value their essential labor.

Adam Waters, President of Local 33, summarized the unified demands: “Just like grad workers, postdocs deserve health and safety protections, job security, fair treatment language, and a grievance procedure to deal with workplace issues. As postdocs and grad workers, we are also standing together in this moment to push back against unprecedented attacks on universities, on science, and on truth.”

CT AFL-CIO says Stand Up, Fight Back

noreply@blogger.com (Joelle Fishman) — Sun, 16 Nov 2025 16:01:00 +0000

The labor movement in Connecticut left fired up from the 16th Biennial Connecticut AFL-CIO convention, ready to “Stand Up, Fight Back” against the assault on unions and toward the common goal of a better life for all workers and communities.

“The message was clear,” said one AFSCME member, “We're up for the fight we're in right now and we're up for the fight to come because when workers fight, we win “

The convention included open discussions, workshops, prominent guest speakers, election of leadership, and strategizing for the hard work ahead of all organized labor.

Keynote speaker Attorney General William Tong opened the convention itemizing ten lawsuits his office brought against the Trump administration, winning reinstatement of funding and infrastructure jobs withdrawn when Connecticut upheld it's immigration protections.

“We are not powerless.” said Tong. “We WILL win this battle… we will NOT be bullied and we will NOT be intimidated!”

Tong praised the role of the labor movement in preserving democracy saying “What gives me hope for the future of the country is you here now.”

A plenary panel “Blame the Boss not the Immigrants: Immigrants as Workers” included presentations by two immigration lawyers, Connecticut Students For a Dream, Make the Road and SEIU 32 BJ deputy political director Jose Miranda.

Miranda emphasized language won in union contracts to protect immigrant members including maintaining seniority during a status case and know your rights trainings for both employers and workers.

“If immigrants are unprotected and powerless only the employers win,” said moderator Eric Cruz Lopez. “This fight is all our fight.”

In their reports president Ed Hawthorne and secretary-treasurer Shellye Davis congratulated the unions who have won strikes this year including the Machinists at Pratt and Whitney winning job security in a historic three week work stoppage,

Jescraft in Oxford on strike for six-and-a-half weeks to win their union, Unite Here 217 at the Hyatt, the Omni and Sodexo, CWA 1298 at Frontier, AFT nurses at Backus Hospital, UAW at Electric Boat and members of SEIU 1199.

“Every one of these strikes or near-strikes demonstrates that the power of solidarity is absolute. We must lean on each other when times are tough,” said Hawthorne.

“But our solidarity cannot stop at the picket line. We must stand with workers everywhere—documented and undocumented—because the struggle for workers' rights is inseparable from the fight for human rights.”

Hawthorne announced that, “Through the Yale Law School Worker & Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic, we are planning to file a Freedom of Information request to uncover every workplace in the nation that has been raided by ICE. And we are prepared to take this administration to Federal Court if they fail to comply. “

In her remarks Davis said, “Bosses think we are weak. We are willing to fight for each and every worker being exploited by billionaires. We have no choice but to win. We are committed to elevate economic, racial and social justice for all working people.”

Celebrating the wave of organizing underway in the state, the convention presented awards to 16 unions that brought in new locals this year.

Hawthorne and Davis were unanimously re-elected, along with returning and new members to executive board positions. Appreciation was expressed for the pair's role championing dignity, fairness, and power and building solidarity for a stronger Connecticut for all workers.

Delegates adopted a wide range of resolutions including establishing a veterans council, organizing for affordable longterm care, banning private equity ownership of health care facilities.

The final two resolutions which concluded the convention inspired delegates for the struggles ahead.

Many delegates spoke in favor of a resolution against school vouchers emphasizing that public education is essential for democracy and calling for public funding of public schools that are universally accessible and where all are welcome.

The final resolution calling for a Union Day of Solidarity was inspired by the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists and presented by the Racial Justice Committee of the CT AFL CIO among others.

“This is what we're all about, standing together and rallying together,” said Carl Chisholm. Win Heimer recalled the seven million in the streets for No Kings Day II and emphasized that an initiative led by labor with allies is needed to stop the attacks on the working class and build for the future”

The convention hosted a fund raiser for the Connecticut for All coalition of 60 labor, community and faith organizations committed to winning tax policies that end the huge economic and racial disparities in the state.

Norma Martinez-Hosang, executive director, told the delegates, “I believe in the power of community and labor, overcoming the divide between workers in the public sector and public awareness,” inviting each union to join in the fight for equity and justice.

Higher Ed Week of Action: Full Funding, Fair Contracts

noreply@blogger.com (Joelle Fishman) — Sat, 15 Nov 2025 15:55:00 +0000

A Higher Ed Week of Action is uniting community college campuses across Connecticut to fight for the future of public higher education including fair contracts and fully funded colleges.

Sponsored by the higher education unions AFT Connecticut, AFSCME and the 4C's, demands include full funding for community colleges and the CSCU system, fair contracts and better working conditions, and more full time faculty and staff to support student success.

The kickoff rally, “Our Education, Our Future,” was held at Capital Community College in Hartford on the second day of the Special Legislative Session. Following pre-rally pizza, students, staff and faculty members talked about Funding Our Future, More Full-Time Staffing, and Fair Contracts for Workers. The rally was co-sponsored by the Student Government Association.

Rallies will be held on Tuesday November 18 at 1 pm at Manchester Community College (CT State Manchester) and on Thursday November 20 at 2:30 pm at Gateway Community College (CT State Gateway) in New Haven.

Connecticut’s public colleges are vital to workforce development and community opportunity, but they cannot thrive without stable funding and fair contracts that ensure full-time attention for students.

“However. decades of underfunding have left our community college struggling to provide the same essential supports offered at every college, such as advising and tutoring to mental health services. Our students are more likely to be first-generation, come from underfunded K-12 school districts, and be working parents trying to build better lives. We’re rallying to demand the stable funding and fair contracts our colleges need because when our students succeed, our communities and our state thrive.” said the faculty.

Currently 75% of community college teaching faculty are part-time, with no health care benefits. Students deserve access to full-time faculty and staff to best educate them. Faculty deserve full-time jobs with good health care and benefits. “We are fighting to end this exploitation of our teaching faculty and ensure our community college students have access to full-time faculty inside and outside of the classroom."

Union Retirees Honor Activists On the Front Lines

noreply@blogger.com (Joelle Fishman) — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 17:17:00 +0000

“Organize, mobilize, agitate” was the watchword from Alliance for Retired Americans director Rich Fiesta at the packed awards luncheon of Connecticut ARA.

The room was filled with retirees active to protect social security, medicare, medicaid and all hard won rights. A special celebration hailed three years of organizing, initiated by CT ARA, that won repeal of WEP/GPO. No longer would public sector workers be denied full Social Security benefits if they held second jobs. President Joe Biden was introduced at the signing ceremony by CT ARA president Bette Marafino. Appreciation was shown to the leaders of the grass roots campaign at the luncheon. CT AFL-CIO president Ed Hawthorne praised the retirees as the backbone of the labor movement.

Accepting the Charlene Block Award, State Rep Jan Hochadel , also president of AFT Connecticut, reaffirmed her fight for and with seniors and working people.

The Kevin Lynch award was presented to Tom Connolly for his years of leadership in the labor movement. Excerpts of his inspiring call to action follow:

Tom Connolly: Unite, Fight, Win

Dr. Martin Luther King warned us of the possibility of a “native form of fascism in America.” And that is what the Trump/MAGA agenda is attempting

to do.

As we sit here today, someone — somewhere — is being zip tied and taken away by heavily armed masked ICE agents with no due process and shipped off to prison. We have deep cuts coming to SNAP food stamps and Medicaid — so the rich can get richer.

They’re firing and stripping labor contracts from our union sisters and brothers at the federal level, dismantling the NLRB, and threatening the 2026 elections through gerrymandering, voter suppression, and using military force in our cities.

Project 2025, funded by millionaires and billionaires, is designed to hold power — at any cost. Lying, cheating, stripping rights, blocking democracy — it’s all part of their plan.

One thing we know for sure: If we roll over and do nothing — they will roll right over us. We are not going to let that happen. We are going to fight. We are going to unite. And we are going to win.

We’ve already seen what unity can do. On October 18th, over 7 million people took part in the NO KINGS Rally, joined by millions more around the globe. We are not alone.

Look at this tremendous ARA victory — winning the fight to repeal WEP / GPO impacting the lives of hundreds or thousands of people. Many thought it was impossible — but it happened through organizing. When ARA won — they didn’t quit. They reorganized now to protect income security.

Another example is my retiree union, CSEA Retirees Council 400, where I had the honor of serving as Vice President of our 12,000-member organization and now chair our Legislative Action Committee. What holds us together is what keeps us alive — our pensions, our healthcare, and Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

But we also have to look beyond just one contract or one campaign. On the national level, the Trump/MAGA fascist agenda continues. SNAP, food stamps cuts, go into effect next month. That’s why groups like the CT for All Coalition matter. It brings together labor, community, and faith organizations to fight for taxing wealth to meet the needs of multi-racial working-class and disenfranchised — and linking our local fights to the larger national struggle.

We have to come together because if every working person’s boat isn’t lifted, those left behind become easy targets for Trump’s lies — that he cares about them, and unions don’t. We know that’s not true. But we have to show it’s not true — by standing and fighting with others.

There is an even broader fight. Capitalism works for billionaires but it disenfranchises us. If we learned anything from Project 2025 it’s that this system is for the few—it’s not for the many. We the many can win big changes for our rights and future if we organize, and stand in solidarity, we can even put socialism on the agenda.

Back in the 1970s I joined the anti-poverty movement, and stayed in it for the rest of my life. Someone invited me to New Haven to hear a candidate running for Congress on the Communist Party USA ticket — Joelle Fishman. She spoke softly but with conviction: “We have to tax the rich, cut the military budget, meet community needs, protect labor rights, and end racism and other forms of discrimination.” When she finished, I said, where do I sign? That vision — that hope — gives me the strength to see the light at the end of the tunnel to solve some major problems.

I accept this award not just for myself, but for all of us — for everyone who fights, organizes, and believes that we can create a world with true liberty and justice for all. Thank you and let’s continue to take care of each other and go out and MAKE GOOD TROUBLE!

Tenants of Alpha Capital Unite Across Town

noreply@blogger.com (Joelle Fishman) — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 15:05:00 +0000

New London, CT — Alpha Capital Funds, a CT-based investment-landlord firm owned by Tyler Smith, recently purchased five residential buildings in New London: 6 Redden Ave, 36 Nathan Hale St, 461 Williams St, and 105 & 111 Broad St. Since the acquisition of these properties, totaling 61 renters’ homes, Alpha Capital has issued 14 notices to quit, with more notices expected for additional tenants through August 2026. Notices to quit are the first step in the process of evicting tenants—in this case for no fault.

Tenants decided to rapidly unionize, join forces with already-unionized Alpha Capital tenants in Niantic, affiliate as a chapter of the Connecticut Tenants Union, and demand that Tyler Smith of Alpha Capital Funds meet them at the bargaining table to negotiate terms to remain securely housed. Tenants include senior and disabled tenants living on limited, fixed incomes, as well as working people and families with children—many of whom are already rent-burdened.

“My monthly disability income is $967. My monthly rent is $950. I’m already struggling every month to pay my other bills on top of the rent. If I get forced out of this apartment, what will I do then? My neighbors and I have literally no choice but to fight this. Tyler Smith, just come to the table and talk to us. Negotiate a new lease. That’s all we want. ” said Michael Duffy, tenant and union leader.

At New London City Hall, tenant union leaders announced the formation of their union and their demand for a fair deal that prevents their displacement. New London Mayor Michael Passero, State Senator Martha Marx, and Representative Anthony Nolan all voiced their support for the union’s demands and committed to reiterate those demands to Tyler Smith directly.

This press conference marked the expansion of tenant unions in southeastern Connecticut, as Niantic and New London tenants joined forces to combat the predatory landlording practices of Alpha Capital Funds in their communities and to fight back against no-fault evictions and unaffordable rents. Their cross-town solidarity represents a significant step up in scale of the region’s tenant movement.

OPINION: In CT, no one should lose healthcare, no one should starve

noreply@blogger.com (Joelle Fishman) — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 15:00:07 +0000

OPINION: In CT, no one should lose healthcare, no one should starve

by Tom Swan

Last week 360,000 SNAP recipients were being told their cards will not be replenished in November. About 158,000 other people have been receiving notices that they will see their healthcare costs rise exponentially – far beyond their ability to pay.

Connecticut is one of the richest states in one of the world’s richest countries. We now face the very real prospect of tens of thousands of people unable to eat and losing health care. The cruelty of HR1, President Donald Trump’s big ugly bill, and his government shutdown, are taking hold in Connecticut. Massive numbers of people are at risk to be without food and/or healthcare.

Despite an extraordinary court order that the federal government use contingency funds to keep the feed assistance coming, the threat still exists in the face of Congressional inaction.

We, in Connecticut, must act.

HR1 and the shutdown are just the latest cruel actions by Trump and Republicans that reward billionaires and corporations and at the expense of working people. Even if Congress does restore these cuts, Connecticut must be prepared to step up and make sure children do not starve and that all people have healthcare.

Unfortunately, our leaders appear to be negotiating Connecticut’s response in terms of budget limits instead of determining what it takes to meet the needs of Connecticut residents. We finished the 2024 fiscal year with a $1.9 billion surplus, which can and should be used to meet urgent needs now.

Gov. Ned Lamont, Speaker Matt Ritter, Senator Martin Looney — we have an emergency. We cannot food bank our way out of this. Children will go hungry and health care will be at risk for everyone, unless you act.

Connecticut has the capacity to address these cuts. At the moment we have a record surplus and the wealthiest among us are receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in tax cuts as part of Trump’s big ugly Bill.

It is good that the legislature and the governor are planning a special session to address the looming crisis and cruelty about to be unleashed in Connecticut. But we need to step up, go outside the current budget framework and develop both a short term response and longer term solutions to what we are about to withstand over the next couple years

Immediate steps include:

Ensure no one loses coverage as a result of the One Ugly Bill and Trump’s inaction. This includes people seeking reproductive health care, Legally Present Immigrants and people receiving Enhanced Premium Tax Credit to purchase insurance on the exchange. We know some of these items will be costly, but we should consider reforms that would lessen the costs, particularly around the tax credits. An example is to clamp down on the profiteering by insurers through vertical integration and their self -dealing through both mandatory disclosure and caps.
Prepare for the looming mess the bill creates for Medicaid and SNAP. DSS has acknowledged the problems with their call centers with some recent announcements. However these steps will not come close to solving the problem and DSS should have to meet the same standards they demand for contractors in terms of customer service. In addition, we need to significantly increase our investment in community health works to help people navigate the new bureaucratic hurdles in the bill and to do the traditional health and wellness functions CHWs perform. This will save money on uncompensated care and by keeping people healthier.
Make sure people have food. The fact that Trump is playing political games with food is no excuse for Connecticut to not act here. It is a lot of money, but if the idea of our neighbors going to bed hungry isn’t enough of a reason to act, the impact on grocers, small businesses, and farmers should make this a no brainer for the governor and legislature should be.

Some people are arguing Connecticut can’t afford to address the needs. We argue Connecticut can’t afford not to. We have a record budget surplus that the legislature can redirect to cover this.

In addition, the wealthiest amongst us are receiving huge tax cuts from the ugly bill. Do the Governor and the legislature really think these people should be able to cash these tax cuts while others starve and/or lose health care?

We find that hard to believe because in Connecticut NO ONE SHOULD STARVE OR LOSE THEIR HEALTH CARE.

Tom Swan is the Executive Director of the Connecticut Citizen Action Group.

Teacher Contract Rally Builds the Movement for Fully Funded Schools

noreply@blogger.com (Joelle Fishman) — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 01:08:00 +0000

The future of public education and the New Haven community is being shaped as teachers bargain for a new contract, involving their membes, students, parents and the community in unprecedented ways.

At a contract rally outside King-Robinson School held while the School Board met inside, dozens of teachers raised their hands to cheers, saying this was their first every rally.

“We are fired up and ready to go,” said New Haven Federation of Teachers president Leslie Blatteau. “In a time when democratic institutions are increasingly under attack, it's our unions who are the line of resistance, building the networks we need to organize and fight back.”

The union's contract negotiations team is groundbreaking. Bulletins are issued for every school after each bargaining session to keep members up to date and allow for input. Observers are present at each negotiating session, bringing along their testimonies.

The rally expressed the power of collective action, and showed the love of these teachers for their students. The union explained the demands they are fighting for along side students, parents and community organizations like New Haven Rising.

“NHFT members are committed to real solutions for our kids - Lower class sizes, caseload caps, better maintained facilties, protections for LGBTQIA+ and immigrant students, and academic freedom in our classrooms.” said Blatteau.

“NHFT members also deserve the salary, and the respect, that matches teachers in other districts. We deserve affordable healthcare thru the State Partnership Plan - without the headache of deductibles and the threat of medical debt.”

Despite raises, take home pay for the teachers is less this year because of Aetna's greedy increases in healthcare coverage. Instead of just complaining the union explored other options and found that municipalities can pool resources for health coverage through the State Partnership Plan 2.0

“The city and the BOE make choices with their budgets every year. It's time - this year - that they make a choice that shows they stand with our teachers and our kids. Let's go.,” said Blatteau.