On Monday, February 26^th, across the nation, union workers answered the call to defend our voice in the workplace.  This was in response to the national attack against organized labor in the form of the Janus v AFSCME case.  The Janus case is a direct attack on state and municipal unionized workers.  The case was argued before the United States Supreme Court on Monday.  That same day, several rallies were held in Connecticut, including a rally at the foot of the steps of the Connecticut Supreme Court.  The ruling, expected in the coming months, will likely have a big impact on our voice at

With many thanks to our friends at the Comptroller's Office, we have some corrections/clarifications to the Health Plan changes.  In an effort to keep healthcare costs down, there are two added components to the State Employee Healthcare Plan: SmartShopper and Site Of Service.  Here is an update for both:

Vitals SmartShopper is a program where members can earn cash rewards for certain medical procedures by “shopping” and utilizing the most quality and cost effective facilities.  The Office of the State Comptroller will be sending out a communication regarding this program in the next few weeks

A message from CT AFL CIO President Lori Pelletier:

The Supreme Court will soon hear a case that will have a big impact on our voice at work. That’s why working people across the country are making a clear stand to keep the freedoms that we’ve fought for.

On Monday, Feb. 26, there will be a day of action, with local events happening coast to coast, to defend our voice on the job and demand an end to an economy designed to favor the rich and powerful on the backs of working families.

In Connecticut, there will be four simultaneous rallies on Monday, Feb. 26, starting at noon:

• HARTFORD: Steps of

At the 2/16 meeting of the State Bond Commission, all items before the commission were given a favorable vote, including the vote on funding for Kronos (the State Time Management System).  This isn't the last time you will see this issue.  This is clearly a waste of resources that many legislators are just not aware is occuring.  So we will continue to inform legislators about this foolishness...in the meantime, this system will start to be rolled out at various agencies.

If you wish to keep your legislator educated and focused on an issue, the easiest way is to talk to your legislator...the

The state has indicated to SEBAC that the state operates on a cash basis.  As such, they claim that "Effective 7/1/17" means something slightly different than what you might expect.  For instance, regarding pension contributions, the 2017 SEBAC Agreement language specifies: "Effective 7/1/17 contributions in all SERS Tiers shall increase by 1.5% of salary".  Seems straight forward - doesn't it?  We thought so.  But the state, in its infinite wisdom, with its cash basis claim, is interpreting this to mean that pay period June 23 through July 6, 2017 was paid after July 1, and therefore all

The 2018 CT Legislative Session opened last month and it came as no surprise that state employees are again being targeted by the same group of legislators who continue to attack working families.  Bill no. 5068, co-sponsored by House Minority Leader Themis Klarides would:

1. Eliminate the breakpoint for new hires immediately; eliminate the breakpoint for existing employees effective 7/1/21
2. Increase pension contributions for new hires to 7% effective immediately ; increase contributions to 7% for all employees effective 7/1/27
3. Eliminate COLAs for all current and future retirees immediately until the